Story by: Patrick McMahon

The Oregon men’s basketball team came out on top against UCLA 82-74 in a first place showdown at Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday evening.

It seemed like neither defense came out of the locker room for the first half, as both teams shot over 50% from the field during that period. Even though Chris Duarte poured in 8 first half points, he struggled taking care of the ball, giving it away 3 times in that span. One person who could not be stopped early was Jules Bernard for the Bruins, as he couldn’t miss throughout the first half, putting up 15 points, and missing only 1 shot. UCLA led bro only 2 at the break, 39-37.

The second half was a tale of two runs, as UCLA went up by as many as 9 with 11 minutes to play, with Bernard adding 8 more points to his total. However, Oregon’s press and hot shooting allowed them to turn the tables on the Bruins and outscore them by 17 the rest of the way. Oregon forced 12 turnovers in the second half, and made almost 70% of their second half shots.

This win gives Oregon sole possession of first place in the Pac-12, and the inside path to claim another regular season conference title. To do this, Oregon simply has to win the remaining game on their schedule: a matchup against rival Oregon State on Sunday in Corvallis at 5 PM.