UCLA Stymies Oregon Late to Pull Away

UCLA Stymies Oregon Late to Pull Away
UCLA Bruins guard Sebastian Mack (12) drives past Oregon Ducks center N'Faly Dante (1) for a basket in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom in Los Angeles on Feb. 3, 2024. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media)
Field Level Media
2/5/2024
Updated:
2/5/2024

Dylan Andrews scored 21 points and added seven assists and UCLA held Oregon to two points in the final 4:29 of the game en route to a 71–63 win on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Bruins (11–11, 6–5 Pac-12) jumped out to an 18-point lead less than eight minutes into a game that had its start delayed due to the Ducks’ late arrival. A nearby presidential motorcade held up Oregon in traffic, forcing a pushed-back tip-off time.

The Ducks (15–7, 7–4) rallied to take a one-point lead into halftime, setting the scene for a tightly contested second half.

Jermaine Couisnard connected on a 3-pointer with 4:30 remaining that cut Oregon’s deficit to 62–61. The Ducks did not score again until a Jackson Shelstad layup with six seconds remaining and the outcome no longer in doubt.

Andrews made a pullup 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining—part of a 3–for–3 night for him from beyond the arc—that doubled the UCLA lead and brought the home crowd to a crescendo. Andrews and Sebastian Mack combined to score all nine of the Bruins’ final points.

Mack finished with 16 points and shot 7–for–8 from the free-throw line. Lazar Stefanovic recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, helping pick up some of the slack on the inside with Adem Bona limited to four points and four rebounds due to foul trouble.

N'Faly Dante led Oregon with 16 points and eight rebounds. Jadrian Tracey added 15 points and Shelstad scored 10 but went 0–for–4 from 3-point range.

The Ducks shot 6 of 22 from beyond the arc and 23 of 54 (42.6 percent) from the floor. UCLA went 6 of 12 from long range and 26 of 58 (44.8 percent) from the field.

UCLA has won five of its past six games. With the loss, Oregon falls a half-game behind Arizona for first place in the Pac-12. The Wildcats host Stanford on Sunday.