UCLA
16-17,10-10Pac-12
Oregon
21-11,12-8Pac-12
UCLA Stopped by Oregon, 68-66, at Pac-12 Tournament
March 14, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS โย The No. 5-seed UCLA men's basketball team lost in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament, 68-66, to No. 4-seed Oregon on Thursday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.
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Dylan Andrewsย scored a game-high 24 points for the Bruins (16-17), but his last-second floater to tie the contest bounced off the rim.ย Sebastian Mackย added 16 points, making 9 of 11 shots at the free throw line.
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UCLA nearly overcame a 10-point deficit against Oregon (21-11) in the game's final four minutes, cutting the deficit to just one point in three instances.
Five players scored in double figures for the Ducks, led by N'Faly Dante (22 points). Jackson Shelstad finished with 12 points. Jermaine Couisnard, Kario Oquendo and Jadrian Tracey tallied 10 apiece.
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"Defensively, we were really bad in the second half, combined with we didn't make shots," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "Two for 11, and we missed a bunch of free throws, some of the front ends of the bonus. That's what got us beat."
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Trailing 63-53, the Bruins cut Oregon's cushion to just five points with a basket from Andrews (at 3:59) and a 3-point shot from Lazar Stefanovic (at 2:54). After Oregon turned the ball over, Stefanovic drew a foul and hit both free throws, trimming the Ducks' advantage to 63-60 at the 2:28 mark.
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Andrews came up with a steal on the defensive end and raced down the court for UCLA, sinking a layup to pull the Bruins to within 63-62 with 1:44 to play.
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Dante hit a basket under the hoop for Oregon with 35 seconds remaining, and Andrews countered with a floating jump shot at the 11-second mark. UCLA fouled Oregon's Jermaine Couisnard, who made both free throws. Trailing 67-64, Andrews was fouled by the Ducks and made both free throws.
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Oregon inbounded the ball, drew a foul, went to the free throw line with 4.4 seconds to play, and hit one of two free throw attempts. Trailing 68-66, Andrews drove the length of the court, and his last second mid-range shot at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced out.
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UCLA led Oregon through the majority of the first half on Wednesday. The Bruins had forged ahead with a 10-2 scoring run, securing a 16-10 lead with 8:01 remaining in the first half. Mack knocked down six free throws during that stretch and made seven in all without a miss in the first 20 minutes. He had scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half against Oregon.
The Bruins maintained their lead during the first half, with Andrews draining a 3-pointer to make the score 34-26 with 52 seconds left. Tracey answered with one of his own, though, sending the game to halftime with UCLA leading 34-29. The Bruins made 12 of 25 shots (48%) in the first half.
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The Ducks scored eight of the second half's initial 10 points to take their first lead since the 15-minute mark of the opening half. Anย Adem Bonaย layup with 10:35 to go pulled UCLA level once again, at 47-47, but the Bruins were held without a field goal for the next 3:57. Oregon pushed its lead to eight points.
A Shelstad layup with 4:13 left gave Oregon the day's only double-digit lead at 63-53. UCLA followed with a strong rally through the contest's final four minutes.
Dante and Andrews had traded jump shots before Couisnard and Andrews alternated made free throws.
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Andrews scored a team-leading 24 points just one day after having registered a career-high 31 points in a win over Oregon State in the tournament's first round. He finished Thursday's game against Oregon having made 10 of 21 shots and 2 of 8 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Mack finished the game as the Bruins' only other player to score in double figures (16 points).
