EUGENE, Ore. — In a rematch of last year’s Pac-12 tournament final, things look to be more evenly matched.
Last March, Oregon pounded UCLA on the boards in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, thanks in large part to center Tony Woods and forward Arsalan Kazemi.
Both no longer wear emerald and yellow and the Bruins led 13-12 in first-half rebounding, but in jumping out to a 36-32 halftime lead, the Ducks showed little has changed since last season’s 78-69 victory.
Early defensive pressure on sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson allowed several open looks for redshirt senior forward Travis Wear, who sank each of his first three attempts from the field and heads into the break with a team-high eight points. Brother and fellow redshirt senior forward David Wear and sophomore guard Jordan Adams have five points apiece.
The Bruins took an early 10-5 lead before a string of UCLA turnovers and a foul beyond the three-point line allowed the Ducks to climb back into the driver’s seat with a 27-21 advantage.
Neither team has shot particularly well – UCLA made 39.1 percent of its shots to Oregon’s 41.4 percent – but the Ducks have been helped by the speed of guards like Joseph Young, who leads all scorers with 16 points and has nailed all five of his free-throw attempts.
As far as pressuring Anderson, Oregon has so far experienced plenty of success, holding the sophomore to just six points and forcing him into six turnovers. The Bruins have committed nine turnovers as a team.