By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES - Matt Barnes scored a career-high 26 points and sparked UCLA's second-half comeback as the Bruins beat Oregon 98-88 on Saturday.

The Bruins (12-5) climbed into a tie for second place in the Pac-10 with Arizona at 6-1, while keeping Oregon (11-6, 2-5) winless at Pauley Pavilion since 1984.

Earl Watson added 20 points and seven assists, Jason Kapono had 18 points and Dan Gadzuric 15 points for the Bruins, who've won 10 of their last 12.

UCLA stepped up its full-court defense in the second half against the second-highest scoring team in the conference. The pressure rattled the Ducks into turnovers and missed shots while clearly boosting UCLA's confidence.

Trailing by 10, the Bruins used a 35-17 run to take a 77-65 lead. Barnes had 10 points in the spurt, including a dunk off his own steal at midcourt.

Having removed the wrap on his sore right wrist that hindered his first-half shooting, Kapono came alive with 11 points, including eight straight that ended with a 3-pointer off Watson's steal.

Oregon, which has lost 17 straight on UCLA's home court, contended with foul trouble during the Bruins' scoring burst.

The Ducks had three players foul out, including centers Flo Hartenstein and Chris Christoffersen, who had a career-high 15 points and seven rebounds. Despite the absence of their big men, the Ducks controlled the boards, 40-33.

Oregon's Bryan Bracey, the Pac-10's leading scorer with a 19.3 average, wasn't a factor after picking up his third foul with 15:16 remaining. He didn't return until there was two minutes left and finished with 20 points.

UCLA's effort to get back into the game and take a commanding lead seemed to wear out the Bruins. That allowed the Ducks to rally briefly and cut their deficit to 82-77 with 4:33 remaining.

But Kapono answered with a 3-pointer, then Barnes scored four straight as the Bruins pulled away.