UCLA
21-4,12-2Pac-12
Oregon
15-11,9-6Pac-12
Big Second Half Lifts Jaquez Jr., UCLA Past Oregon
February 11, 2023 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. – Jaime Jaquez Jr. totaled a team-leading 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 7 UCLA past Oregon, 70-63, before 10,272 in a Pac-12 game on Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena.
Jaquez Jr. scored 18 of his team-leading 25 points in the second half. He moved into the school's all-time list of top 20 scorers, becoming just the 10th UCLA player to rank among the school's top 20 career leaders in both scoring and rebounding.
Jaquez Jr. notched his sixth double-double of the season and tallied at least 10 rebounds for the fourth consecutive game.
Jaylen Clark added 13 points and a game-high four steals, moving into UCLA's single-season top 10 list for steals. Tyger Campbell dished out four assists for the Bruins (21-4, 12-2 Pac-12). During the second half, the Bruins shot 71 percent (14-for-34) and outscored the Ducks by a 36-15 margin across the first 14:53.
"Our guys continue to play with unbelievable toughness," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "If it was easy to play as hard as the kids are playing, everybody would do it. They understand. I think as a coach, you sit down with your staff in the summer and you try to map out a plan for, OK, here's what we can accomplish with this team, how are we going to do it. With this team, we thought if we could become a great defensive team, we had enough firepower to win and win big. That was our plan."
The Bruins took a two-game lead in the loss column of the conference standings, as Arizona dropped to 11-4 in league play on Saturday with a loss at Stanford.
Oregon (15-11, 9-6) was paced by Jermaine Couisnard's 19 points. He also accounted for 18 in the second half. N'Faly Dante registered 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
The first half also was one of runs, with the Ducks scoring the first eight points of the game. UCLA answered emphatically, recording 14 of the next 16. An 11-2 spurt gave Oregon a 31-23 lead, equaling its largest of the night, with 2:40 left until the break. Campbell's floater in the lane cut the Bruins' halftime deficit to 33-30.
With 17:03 remaining in the second half, Jaquez Jr. tipped in a Campbell miss to make the Ducks' lead 37-36. That served as a catalyst for a 13-0 UCLA run, during which Jaquez Jr. scored eight points. He scored his team's subsequent eight points, as well, increasing the Bruins' advantage at 55-41 just shy of the half's midway mark.
Clark outscored Oregon by a 9-2 margin and a Jaquez Jr. steal and slam dunk put UCLA's lead at a game-high 18 points (66-48) with 5:07 left in the contest.
During a stretch of more than six minutes leading up to that moment, Clark and Jaquez Jr. had scored all 19 of the Bruins' points. Oregon scored 15 of the game's next 18 points but never reduced UCLA's advantage to any fewer than six points. The Ducks clawed back to 69-63 after a 3-point basket by Quincy Guerrier with 17 seconds to play.
UCLA next returns to action at home next week, hosting Stanford on Thursday (Feb. 16) and California on Saturday (Feb. 18). Game time in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Thursday is 8 p.m.
The Bruins' game against Stanford will be broadcast on ESPN2.
UCLA's game next Saturday evening against California will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
