After snapping its three-game winning streak with a loss to Oregon State Thursday, UCLA men’s basketball sought to avoid slipping into another losing streak as it faced Oregon Saturday.
At halftime, the Bruins aren’t in a strong position to accomplish that task, as they trail the Ducks 46-31.
After getting out to an initial 6-4 deficit, the Bruins got sloppy with their play. UCLA made just one of its next six shots and committed four turnovers in a three-minute stretch to allow Oregon to jump ahead 16-7.
After a basket by sophomore guard Bryce Alford, the Ducks went on a 9-3 run to increase their lead to 25-12 with 9:24 to play in the half. After the Bruins fell behind 29-17, senior guard Norman Powell momentarily stopped the bleeding, hitting a fading jumper from the base line while drawing a foul to draw the Bruins within nine.
The Ducks were quick to re-open the wound. Oregon hit a pair of free throws, then drained a three-pointer and hit a jump shot to push its lead to 16 with about five minutes remaining. That stretch was part of a 13-1 run for the Ducks that left the Bruins trailing 42-21 with just under four minutes left.
A couple of three-pointers from Alford brought UCLA slightly closer, but it still trailed by 15 at halftime.
Oregon’s offense seemed to score at will in the half, shooting 75 percent and spreading the wealth with five Ducks scoring seven or more points. UCLA, meanwhile, struggled to find an offensive rhythm, shooting just 42.9 percent from the field in the first half.
Alford led all scorers with 11 points and freshman forward Kevon Looney added nine points and five rebounds.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.