MBB Recap: Ducks falter in second half, lose to No. 7 UCLA 70-63
For about 20 minutes of game time, it looked like this might be another one of those special nights inside Matthew Knight Arena.
The crowd of over 10,000 fans was rocking, and Dana Altman’s squad was playing about as well as we’d seen all season. The No. 7 UCLA Bruins were struggling to keep pace, and entered the half trailing. The Ducks were in a good spot, needing a win like this to get a bid into the NCAA Tournament.
And then the second half happened.
I’m not sure what Mick Cronin said to his Bruins at the break, but it certainly hit home. UCLA came out of the half on a 13-0 run, quickly taking the lead and growing it from there. Oregon’s offense turned to dust and the easy looks that N’Faly Dante was getting inside were no longer there.
In the end, it was a blowout loss for the Ducks that left the remainder of the season in question. Oregon has five games left, all against the bottom teams in the conference, but even if they manage to go undefeated through that stretch, it’s unclear whether or not that will be enough to get them into March Madness. For 20 minutes on Saturday night, it looked like they wouldn’t have to worry about that.
And then the second half happened.
Final Score: UCLA 70, Oregon 63
Oregon head coach Dana Altman reacts to a foul call in the first half as the Oregon Ducks host the No. 7 UCLA Bruins Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
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Keys to the game
The Ducks got out to as good of a start as you could ask for, with N’Faly Dante dominating down low and Oregon hitting their first three-point attempt. The Ducks took a quick 8-0 lead, forcing a UCLA timeout.
UCLA battled back with an 8-0 run of its own to tie the game, and eventually went ahead 14-10 by the time the under-12 media timeout rolled around. The Ducks were able to battle back and ratchet up the defense, tying the game at 18-18 with 8 minutes to play.
Oregon continued to pound it inside to N’Faly Dante, who flirted with a double-double in the opening 15 minutes of the game, while the Ducks took a 27-21 lead. Ultimately, Oregon went into halftime with a 33-30 lead.
UCLA started the second half with a hot hand, jumping out to a 41-37 lead. The Bruins went on an 13-0 run while the Ducks missed their first 6 shots of the half.
Jaime Jaquez caught fire in the second half, scoring 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the half and really stretching out UCLA’s lead. The Ducks were able to battle back a little bit thanks to a nice stretch of play from Jermaine Couisnard that included 5 straight points and a forced turnover on defense, getting Oregon back to within 10 points.
UCLA’s level of play was high in the second half, while the Ducks struggled with unforced errors and a lot of missed shots. Turnovers we a problem, and the same defensive intensity was not there from the first half.
The Ducks were able to mount a 15-3 run in the final couple of minutes to make it a six-point game with 16 seconds remaining. However, it was too late for the ultimate comeback.
Players of the Game
Jermaine Couisnard: 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
N’Faly Dante: 13 points, 9 rebounds
Rivaldo Soares: 9 points, 2 assists
Will Richardson:
Key Stats to Know
N’Faly Dante led all scorers with 11 points, 8 rebounds at the half, posting an impressive +10 (+/-) while on the floor.
Oregon held a 21-15 rebounding advantage over UCLA at the half, with a 7-1 advantage in fastbreak points.
The Ducks finished the game with 16 turnovers, leading to 19 points for UCLA. Meanwhile, the Bruins only had 8 turnovers, which led to 7 Oregon points.
UCLA had an 18-7 advantage when it came to second-chance points, coming on 12 offensive rebounds.
After having 11 points and 9 rebounds in the first half, N’Faly Dante scored just 2 points and had one rebound in the final 20 minutes.
What's next?
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Ducks travel to Washington next week to take on the Huskies for the first time this season on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. It will be Oregon’s first time facing Franck Kepnang since he transferred after last season.
