UCLA’s Defensive Struggles Doom Them In 82-64 Loss To Oregon
By Matt Wagner
UCLA came into Oregon needing a victory to regain their momentum after losing to Oregon State 66-55 on Thursday.
That did not happen.
The first half didn’t go well for the Bruins at all, particularly defensively, as they allowed the Ducks to shoot 75 percent, including 6 of 7 from three. The main reason for this was the inability for UCLA to execute in zone defense. Guards Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton overhelped in the paint, leading to open three pointers for the Ducks. When Alford and Hamilton stayed home on their assignments, UCLA couldn’t stop Oregon‘s penetration, which resulted in a plethora of easy layups for the Ducks.
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Offensively, the bright spots in the first half were Alford, Kevon Looney, and Norman Powell. Alford was efficient in the half, scoring 11 points on 4-7 shooting and got a few open shots off of off-ball screens. Powell shot 2-7 but helped his point total with his multiple aggressive drives to the basket. He was 3 of 5 from the charity stripe and finished with seven points in the opening half. Looney got some post touches and took advantage, finishing with nine points on 4-6 from the field while also getting five rebounds.
Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t much better.
UCLA still kept giving up open shots to the Ducks and there were even more opportunities in the paint.
All toll, Oregon shot a video-game-like 62% for the contest including a 9-13 mark from beyond the arc.
As for UCLA offensively, Powell finished with a game-high 23 and his knack of drawing fouls today helped the Bruins trim the lead down before ultimately letting Oregon control them during their offensive possessions almost at will.
Alford and Looney both finished with 15 points each and the latter compiled eight rebounds in the 82-64 defeat.
Ultimately, UCLA is once again looking for answers and they have a few days to figure those out before going back home to Pauley Pavilion to face a formidable test in #12 Utah on January 29.