Oregon men's basketball beats UCLA to make Pac-12 Tournament semifinal game vs. Arizona
Oregon overcame a slow start and then survived a frenzied few minutes to escape the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament with a victory.
The Ducks nearly lost all of its double-digit lead in the final four minutes but held on to defeat UCLA 68-66 Thursday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The win puts No. 4 Oregon (21-11) into a semifinal game at 5 p.m. Friday against No. 1 Arizona — a game the Ducks have to win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
“We know the position we put ourselves in,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We've got to swing away and try to make something happen tomorrow against a really good team, a team that might be a 1 seed, 2 seed in the tournament.”
The Ducks are now 23-9 in the conference tournament in 14 seasons under Altman and have won their opening game every season the tournament’s been played since 2013.
N’Faly Dante delivers again for Oregon
N’Faly Dante led the Ducks with 22 points and six rebounds with his final points coming on a crucial baseline jumper with 35 seconds left in the game.
Dante’s shot hit off the rim, bounced into the air and dropped down through the net, to give Oregon a 65-62 lead and end a 9-0 run by UCLA that had turned the Ducks’ 63-53 advantage with four minutes to go into a 63-62 nail-biter.
“As soon as I get it, I just go for it,” Dante said of his jumper. “Glad it went in.”
“Gotta a good bounce,” Altman responded with a smile.
The game still wasn’t over, however.
UCLA’s Dylan Andrews floated in a shot over Dante with 11 seconds to play to keep the Bruins within a point. Jermaine Couisnard and Andrews then traded free throws over the next five seconds as the Ducks stayed in the lead, 67-66.
A free throw by Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad put the Ducks up 68-66 with 4.4 seconds left and then Andrews' jumper was off the mark as the buzzer to end the game.
“It's tournament time,” Altman said. “We did the things you have to do. … It wasn’t as smooth as what we wanted. We would have liked to play a little better the first half, and definitely a little better the last four minutes.”
Shelstad finished with 12 points, Couisnard had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Jadrian Tracey and Kario Oquendo also scored 10 each.
Andrews led the Bruins (16-17) with 24 points.
Ducks’ early misfires put them in a hole
Oregon’s offense had a miserable start to the game.
The Ducks were shooting 16.7% from the field (3-for-18) through the first 12 minutes — a stretch that ended with eight-straight misses — as they fell behind 16-10.
Oregon got it going in the final eight minutes as it made 7-of-9 from the field to end the half, though the Bruins still went into halftime up 34-29.
"We were tight,” Altman said. “When you know you've got to win and you've got to win three games, I kept telling them, don't worry about the second one. There's no second one if you don't get the first one."
Oregon’s hot finish to the first half, which included six points from Dante and 3-pointers from Shelstad and Oquendo, carried into the second half as the Ducks outscored the Bruins 17-6 over the opening 7:24 to take a 46-40 lead.
The advantage grew to 10 points — the largest by either team — on a jumper by Shelstad with 4:13 to play that made it 63-53.
“I thought we really regained our composure (in the second half),” Altman said.
Oregon outrebounded UCLA 34-33, including 20-14 in the second half after the Bruins dominated the boards in the first half.
It certainly helped that Bruins’ big men Adem Bona and Kenneth Nwuba combined to play just 31 minutes due to foul trouble. Bona, the Pac-12’s defensive player of the year, had eight points, four rebounds and four fouls in 17 minutes.
His backup, Nwuba, fouled out after going scoreless in 14 minutes.
“Defensively we were really bad in the second half,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin, who was unhappy with the fouls called against Bona in particular. “I'm not commenting on officiating, so don't ask. Have the heart to write what you saw, that's what I would tell you.”
What’s next for the Ducks
Oregon will play top-seeded Arizona at 5 p.m. Friday in a semifinal game being televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
The Wildcats (25-7), who have won back-to-back conference tournament titles, defeated USC 70-49 Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals.
Oregon lost both games to Arizona during the regular season — 87-78 at home on Jan. 27 and 103-83 in Tucson on March 2.
“They're a little deeper than us, and we gotta be careful about just getting into a shooting contest with them,” Altman said. “… We’re going to have to play really good. And they've proven that two times. One at our place, one at their place. Can't sugarcoat it. We're going to have to play really good. The guys know that. They know they're going to have to bring it. So it's a challenge, but it's what we got ourselves into, and so we just gotta be ready for it."
Live coverage of Oregon men's basketball vs. UCLA
It will be No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 UCLA at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
And if his performance against Oregon State is any indication, the Ducks will need to have a answer for Dylan Andrews.
The sophomore guard had a career game against the Beavers in a 67-57 victory for the Bruins in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday.
Andrews had 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting overall and 7-of-9 from 3-point range, which were career highs for points, made field goals and made 3-pointers.
The victory also put UCLA one step closer to playing in its third straight Pac-12 championship game and a redemptive finish for a Bruins’ squad that has struggled for much of the season.
Oregon and UCLA split their series this season, with the Ducks winning 64-59 at home in December and the Bruins winning 71-63 in Los Angeles in February.
Follow along for live updates during the game between the Ducks and Bruins.
Oregon men's basketball vs. UCLA: How to watch
No. 4 Oregon will face No. 5 UCLA at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Network. The announcers are Roxy Bernstein and Don MacLean.
Ducks off to slow start
At the first media timeout Oregon trails UCLA 6-2 with 15:30 left in the first half. The Ducks are shooting 1 for 7 from the field and getting outrebounded 7-3 in the early game. Jermaine Couisnard has Oregon's only made shot on a floater.
Scoring nearly at a standstill after short Oregon run
With 11:59 to go in the first half, the Ducks still trail 10-8. The Bruins haven't hit a shot in over five minutes but are 4 for 6 at the free throw line, while Oregon is shooting 3 for 11 from the field.
Both teams pick up offensive steam
After a scoring rut to open the game, shots are starting to fall. The Ducks opened the game shooting 3 for 18 but are 4 for 4 on their last four attempts. UCLA has also found a rhythm, shooting 45% from the floor.
The Ducks trail 26-22 with 3:24 left to play in the first half.
Oregon trails UCLA at the half
In a defensive-minded half, the Ducks trail the Bruins 34-29 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. Oregon shot 37% from the field and getting outrebounded 19-14 while the Bruins are shooting close to 50%.
Oregon star post N'Faly Dante has a team-high nine points to lead the Ducks but also two fouls. Jackson Shelstad and Kario Oquendo have five points a piece, as well. UCLA's Sebastian Mack leads the Bruins with 14 points, including a perfect 7 for 7 line on foul shots.
Oregon takes its first lead early in the second half
The Ducks open the second half of an 11-4 run at the first media timeout, and lead 40-38 with 15:40 left to play. Five different Ducks have scored in the first four and a half minutes of the half, and the Ducks are shooting 5 for 8.
Duck lead slightly grows
Oregon's run in the second half has continued as the Ducks now lead 46-40 with 12:30 left to play. Oquendo has provided a nice spark off the bench for the Ducks with 10 points. The Ducks have outscored the Bruins 17-6 almost halfway through the second quarter, and is shooting 15 for 22 from the field after starting the game 3 for 18.
8-0 run gives Oregon its largest lead
After UCLA trimmed the deficit, Oregon has gone on an 8-0 run capped by an and-one dunk by Dante in transition. The senior big has 20 points to lead the Ducks as they lead 55-47 with 7:49 left. Oregon has eight fastbreak points to UCLA's zero.
Ducks up double-digits in the final stretch
Oregon has opened up its largest lead with 4:07 left, 63-53, against UCLA after a Shelstad layup. Four Ducks are in double figures, Dante (20), Shelstad (11), Jadrian Tracey (10) and Oquendo (10).
Bruins right back in it
The Ducks haven't scored in nearly three minutes and have allowed the Bruins to go on a 9-0 run. With 1:34 left in the game, Oregon's lead has been cut to 63-62. Both teams are in the double bonus down the stretch.
FINAL: Ducks 68, Bruins 66
Dante hit a turnaround shot with 35 seconds left to push Oregon's lead to three, before UCLA's Dylan Andrews hit a scoop layup with 11 seconds left to cut the lead back to one.
The Bruins fouled Couisnard out of a timeout, and the senior hit both his free throws to push the lead again to three. Couisnard fouled UCLA's Andrews with five seconds left, who trimmed the deficit once again to one.
Playing in the fouling game, Andrews picked up his fourth with four seconds remaining to send Shelstad to the line. The true freshman missed his first free throw but made his second to push the lead to two. Andrews missed a floater at the buzzer, giving Oregon the win in the Pac-12 quarterfinals.
Dante finished with 22 points and six rebounds, Shelstad had 12 points, and Couisnard, Tracey, and Oquendo scored 10 a piece. UCLA was led by Andrews' 24 points.
Oregon will play No. 1 Arizona in the semifinals tomorrow at 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon faces Arizona in Pac-12 tourney semifinals: Time, how to watch
