No. 21 UCLA Defeats Oregon, 65-56
LOS ANGELES – Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark scored 14 points apiece to lead the No. 21 UCLA men's basketball team past Oregon, 65-56, in Pac-12 game on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
Bailey scored all 14 of his points in the second half, as the Bruins (7-2, 2-0 in Pac-12 play) bounced back from a six-point halftime deficit. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 12 points and Tyger Campbell added 10 – all in the second half.
Bailey finished the game 7-for-12 from the field, scoring at least 10 points for the fourth consecutive contest. He also registered five rebounds and two blocks in the Pac-12 victory.
"Way better ball movement in the second half, and it was very obvious," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We made some adjustments as a coaching staff. Jaime had the right statement at halftime to the team – he said that we can't sorry about offense. We're in the game still, only got 21 [points] because of our defense. We can't stop defending. I still think that we have a long way to go. We gave up 49 percent in our gym, but we created some turnovers."
UCLA made 16 of its 31 shots (51.6%) in the second half and finished 26 of 64 (40.6%) for the game. The Bruins posted a 36-25 rebounding advantage, including a 16-5 margin on the offensive glass that generated a 13-4 difference in second-chance points.
The Ducks (4-5, 1-1) were led by Quincy Guerrier's 15 points. Will Richardson added 13 points and a game-high five assists.
The Bruins made just three of their first 14 shot attempts as Oregon opened up a 12-6 lead. Clark and Dylan Andrews and sparked the UCLA offensive effort, however, combining to score its next 10 points. Clark scored seven points in the game's first 20 minutes, while Andrews added six. The Ducks, paced by Guerrier and his game-high 10 points, went to the break with a 27-21 lead. Oregon made 12 of their 23 field-goal tries (52.1%) and held the Bruins to a 30.3% (10 for 33) clip.
The second half saw UCLA make four of its first shots from the field, including 3-pointers by Clark and Campbell, to take a 33-31 lead with 17:15 remaining. A 9-0 run by the Ducks put them back in the driver's seat at 44-41 with 10:05 left, but the Bruins answered back with a 5-0 spurt capped by a David Singleton 3-pointer. A jump shot by Rivaldo Soares pulled Oregon even again at 49-49, but UCLA did not trail in the game, the rest of the way.
UCLA used an 8-0 scoring run – punctuated by a Bailey slam dunk – to separate from the visiting Ducks. Jaquez Jr. helped to ice the win for UCLA with a pair of free throws.
The Bruins made four of seven shots from 3-point distance in the second half after having missed all seven of their attempts in the first half.
UCLA returns to action Saturday, Dec. 10, when it welcomes Denver to Pauley Pavilion for a non-conference contest. Pac-12 Networks will televise the matchup, set to begin at 12 p.m. PT.
Game Notes: UCLA snapped a four-game losing streak to Oregon … the Bruins improved their overall record to 7-2 this season, including a perfect 6-0 mark in home games … UCLA has won its past 14 consecutive home games – the last home loss took place on Jan. 13, 2022, with a 84-81 overtime setback against Oregon … Jaime Jaquez Jr. (12 points) and Tyger Campbell (10 points) have scored at least 10 points in all nine games for the Bruins this season.