Written Story By Levi Profitt
The Ducks took down the Bruins 68-63 in a wild one that almost slipped away from Oregon in the final minutes. The hype was real facing #12 ranked UCLA coming into Matthew Knight Arena Thursday night. Coming off a tough stretch for the Ducks, a win at home vs. a ranked opponent was what this team was looking for. The Ducks put in a solid performance on both ends to secure the victory.
To start off the game, both teams were trading buckets, with Oregon taking a couple of 5 point leads in the early going. Ducks guard De’Vion Harmon led the Ducks with 8 points in the first half, with UCLA guard Tyger Campbell leading the Bruins with 10 of his own. UCLA didn’t shoot great in the opening half but was able to keep it close at the break as Oregon committed 12 turnovers in the first half, shooting themselves in the foot at times. Bruins forward Johnny Juzang left the game late in the half and didn’t return after injuring his ankle. After a first half that seemingly had Oregon shooting and rebounding with more efficiency, the Ducks took just a 5 point lead to halftime.
The defensive intensity picked up in the second half, with both teams combining for just 1 point through almost 2 minutes of play. Oregon center Franck Kepnang finished the game with 3 key blocks that were symbolic of the Ducks' defensive effort at times. The offense picked up just as quickly, however, as Oregon went on a 9-4 run to go up 9 three and a half minutes into the half. The Bruins found themselves in foul trouble as the 2nd half wore on, with forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. fouling out late. It was a second half where Oregon shot 14 free throws to UCLA’s just 6, a key aspect of the result. The Ducks were ultimately able to finish off the Bruins behind a De’Vion Harmon long three, and some nice drives inside the paint from Jacob Young to get clutch buckets. Harmon led both teams in scoring on the night with 17 in the win, and UCLA’s Cody Riley and Tyger Campbell both tied for the most on the Bruins with 12.
The win marks Oregon’s 18th on the year as they look to climb back in position for a possible at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. The Ducks will look forward to their next opponent as they face off against #16 USC after beating the Trojans in Los Angeles on January 15th. The Ducks will be home for senior night on February 26th to play USC in their last home game of the season.
Audio Story by Alex Roth:
Postgame Audio:
Dana Altman:
De'Vion Harmon: