SAN JOSE, Calif. — In Oregon’s first matchup this season against UCLA, the Ducks were rebuffed by 25. In its second contest against the Bruins, Oregon lost by just two in Los Angeles.
Heading into Saturday night at HP Pavilion, the Ducks were confident they could chip away those two points and become victors in their first contest of the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament.
It didn’t happen.
UCLA freshman Nikki Blue scored 30 points, had a tournament record eight steals and grabbed five rebounds as the Bruins upended Oregon, 71-58, in front of 4,188 fans in Silicon Valley.
The loss ends Oregon’s (12-16 overall) season and ensures the Ducks will miss the postseason for the first time in nine years.
“Certainly, a disappointing and frustrating way to end the season,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said.
Sophomore Andrea Bills had 15 points to lead the Ducks, which lost for the third time this season against the tournament’s fourth-ranked team. That is the first time the Ducks have lost three times in a season to a Pac-10 squad.
Oregon continued its late season dominance on the boards, grabbing 39 rebounds to UCLA’s 37. But 25 turnovers ultimately led to the Ducks’ doom.
“We just didn’t match their intensity at times,” Oregon junior Cathrine Kraayeveld said. “They just outplayed us at times and we didn’t step up to that.”
UCLA (18-10) employed a full-court defense for much of the first half, and the last ten minutes of the second. That led to Oregon’s inability to keep its offense flowing, especially in the first ten minutes of the game.
The Ducks scored just two points in the first eight minutes of the contest, and began the game 1-of-9 from the field.
“Our defense is definitely what makes us go,” UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. “Oregon did a very good job of working the ball inside and we had to go back to the full court press. That’s when we’re a better team. Our perimeter really likes getting after it.”
The Oregon posts were able to get 30 points in the paint, compared to the Bruins’ 18.
Much like their previous loss to UCLA, the Ducks started off strong in the second half, but cooled down midway through the stanza. That led to a 9-0 UCLA run that ended with just over seven minutes left.
“Turning the ball over really hurt us,” Smith said. “The fatigue factor is there as well. Certainly, I think we got a little tentative and didn’t attack.”
Oregon, already down to nine players due to the Kayla Steen’s season-ending ACL injury last week, nearly lost Kraayeveld early in the first. After a tumble under the Oregon basket, Kraayeveld came up limping. Her left ankle was looked at on the sidelines, but she came back to start the second half.
The end of the first half saw the Ducks creep to within three, 29-26, but not for long. Greco nailed a banked-in 3-pointer with less than a second left, sending UCLA to a six-point lead at the half.
UCLA’s Whitney Jones started the game off with a 3-pointer at the 19:35 mark. Kraayeveld came on with a jumper at 19:02.
The teams combined to shoot 4-of-21 from the field in the first seven minutes of the game.