UCLA Basketball: The 10 best games of the Steve Alford era

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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 9: Lonzo Ball #2 of the UCLA Bruins dribbles the ball and attacks with Ike Anigbogu #13, Isaac Hamilton #10 and Aaron Holiday #3 of the Bruins as Casey Benson #2 of the Oregon Ducks runs back at Pauley Pavilion on February 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

8. Feb 9, 2017 vs #5 Oregon 82-79

It was getting very close to the ned of the seasons and the #10 UCLA Bruins needed a big victory over the Oregon Ducks to not only stay in the race for the Pac-12 Championship, but to thicken up their resume for the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA had a solid non-conference schedule as they went 13-0, but things got a lot tougher in the Pac-12. By time the Bruins faced Oregon at Pauley Pavilion, they were 9-3 in conference play, with one of those losses coming at the hands of the Ducks up in Eugene.

The Ducks were on a roll, getting as high as the #5 ranking in the nation, but so were the Bruins, but in this game, Oregon was pushing around the Lonzo Ball-led Bruins. UCLA had trailed by as much as 19 in the first half, but then Bruins woke up.

Once again, in a rare performance, the Bruins started playing some defense and fought their way back into he game. With just over four-minutes left, Aaron Holiday hit a shot from downtown to give the Bruins the lead, which they held onto for the remainder of the game. Holdiat and Ball had both finished with 15 points each and a much needed victory over a top Pac-12 team.