Everybody knew Luke Jackson was going to get the ball.
Thing is, nobody could have imagined the scenario that unfolded with 13 seconds left.
With UCLA up by one, Trevor Ariza fouled the Oregon forward, sending Jackson to the line. The Creswell native nailed both free throws — possibly the final points of his career at McArthur Court — to send Oregon to a 60-59 win over the Bruins on Saturday.
Jackson caught the ball and it immediately flew out of his hands. The officials whistled Ariza, sending Jackson to the charity stripe and Ariza to the UCLA bench with his fifth foul.
UCLA head coach Ben Howland didn’t like the call one bit. Jackson did.
“(Jackson) wasn’t making a play when we fouled him,” Howland said. “He was just catching the ball and Trevor was right there with him and he got in and hit the ball.”
Everybody knew the ball was going to Jackson. The Bruins expected him to pull up for a jumper or streak down the baseline.
Jackson never got a chance to make even the slightest move.
“I just couldn’t believe he hacked me like that,” Jackson said. “I was just amazed. As soon as I caught the ball, he fouled me without me even making a move. I was really surprised they defended like that, but we’ll take it.”
The free throws and ensuing win gave the Oregon a tie for fourth in the conference with California, but the Golden Bears get the higher seed based on a tiebreaker.
Not that it matters. The teams will square off Thursday for a 2:50 p.m. tip in Los Angeles.
“We said before that we need to win these final two games so we can get on a roll for the Pac-10 Tournament,” Oregon forward Ian Crosswhite said. “It does give us momentum and confidence.”
That momentum wasn’t fully cemented, though, until the final seconds ticked off the clock. Immediately after Jackson sank the free throws, UCLA (11-16, 7-11) had a chance to win the game, but Cedric Bozeman couldn’t get a fall away jumper to go through the hoop.
The guard drove the length of the floor, caught the attention of Oregon guard Andre Joseph and attempted an 8-foot jumper. But he had four Duck defenders collapse on him as he shot the ball.
Not exactly a clear lane to the basket.

“He got pretty deep into the paint and went up for a shot,” Crosswhite said. “It was good there was a lot of guys around him to put pressure on and make him think a little, ‘Well I might have to shoot off the backboard or I might have to do this.’ He made a tough shot a couple plays before.”
Everything Oregon did Saturday against UCLA was in the name of momentum.
That included a 9-0 scoring run to start the second half, 21 points from Jackson and a defensive effort that had escaped the Ducks this season prior to the game against the Bruins.
Momentum, though, isn’t always pretty.
The last couple of possessions for both teams were simply an exclamation point to a game dominated by turnovers and missed opportunities.
The teams combined for 22 turnovers in the first half. The Ducks shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half and held UCLA to 29 points.
Oregon came alive in the first two minutes of the second half. The Ducks outscored the Bruins 9-0 by the 18:30 mark and extended that to 18-5 en route to a 41-34 lead with 15:57 to play.
“That’s when we get momentum and being down, we know it’s really crucial we get off to a good start in the second half,” Oregon guard James Davis said. “That 9-0 run was key to getting the victory.”
For the second straight game, the Ducks contributed a strong defensive effort throughout the game for the win. The Bruins shot 46.2 percent in the first half and bested that by 1 percent in the second.
But Oregon took advantage of 20 UCLA turnovers — nine coming in the second. The Ducks scored 29 points off of turnovers. Conversely, the Bruins posted 15 points off 15 Oregon turnovers.
“Definitely, defense was key for us,” Davis said. “I think as the score shows it was a defensive game and we were fortunate to get the win.”
Jackson’s 21 points — 14 of which came in the second half — were good enough to pace the Ducks. He also had three steals, moving him past Luke Ridnour for second place on Oregon’s career list.
Davis ended his career at McArthur Court with 11 points and Joseph finished his with a career-high seven assists.
Dijon Thompson scored 14 points to lead UCLA, and T.J. Cummings pitched in with 12 before fouling out with 54 seconds left to play.