In the absence of “Slo-Mo,” or sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson, UCLA’s offensive strategy has been exactly that.
With Anderson and sophomore guard Jordan Adams out of the lineup on Thursday night against Oregon because of a violation of team rules, the Bruins lacked any post presence and relied primarily on the three-point shot, which very rarely went in.
The Bruins trail the Ducks 37-25 at the half, or exactly what’s expected when a team’s two superstars can’t play.
A 3-pointer from freshman guard Bryce Alford, who started his first game of the season alongside fellow freshman guard Zach LaVine, cut Oregon’s advantage to just one with 11:26 to play, but from there, the Bruins could hardly muster anything. It took almost five minutes for UCLA to record its next field goal, and the team’s field goal percentage dipped as low as 23.5 percent.
The Ducks made several deep jump shots, while the Bruins stalled their offensive motor. Worse than the score, the Bruins were left with nightmarish stats of just two points in the paint, four bench points and just eight made field goals in 26 tries.
Alford leads UCLA with nine points, while LaVine has five. Oregon’s Jason Calliste leads all scorers with 15 points, with guard Joseph Young adding 10.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.