A rebound, a 3-pointer and a rolled ankle.
That’s basically what summed up forward Nikola Dragovic’s disappointing Senior Day in UCLA’s 70-68 loss to Oregon on Saturday.
His afternoon literally got off on the wrong foot after he stepped on a basketball just minutes before tip-off. He played 34 minutes with a badly sprained right ankle and sported a protective boot following the game.
“It happens,” a disappointed Dragovic said.
But he lacked mobility, as evidenced by Oregon’s 13 offensive rebounds ““ many of which came under Dragovic’s watch. He roamed the paint at the back end of UCLA’s 2-3 zone, which featured freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt playing at the four and senior guard Michael Roll playing at the three.
“It shows how much we’re hurting for an inside presence with (freshman forward) Reeves (Nelson) out of the game,” coach Ben Howland said.
Dragovic missed five of his six 3-point attempts, scoring his other two buckets on layups. He was fairly ineffective on the defensive end too, oftentimes giving way to the Ducks’ Jeremy Jacob, who scored 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
“What about Jeremy Jacob today?” Oregon coach Ernie Kent asked. “He comes into this building for 19 (points) and 10 (rebounds) ““ that was just an incredible performance by him.”
The same could not be said for Dragovic, who failed to match Roll’s stellar output in his final game at Pauley.
Dragovic was also dealing with an injured left shoulder he suffered Thursday while diving for a loose ball. The sprained ankle didn’t help.
“You hear about that happening every once in a blue moon,” Howland said. “He was, I’m sure, affected by it.”
Senior forward suits up for final home game
Injured senior forward James Keefe (left shoulder) simply wanted to wear his UCLA jersey one last time.
Keefe, who has suffered three separate injuries to his left shoulder since last summer, opted for season-ending surgery two weeks ago. He had worn street clothes and sat near the bench since announcing his decision.
But on Saturday, Keefe wore his uniform, jumped around in the team huddle, and even participated in pregame warm-ups.
“Usually when you’re not playing, you wear street clothes, but heck, it was my last time in Pauley,” he said. “I wanted to take some pictures with my mom with my jersey on.”
Keefe was introduced alongside his family before the game Saturday as part of UCLA’s Senior Day festivities. He said it was an emotional moment.
“Four years is a long time,” Keefe said. “It’s been a great journey. … It was fun to be out there on center court to take it all in.”
Dribblers
Freshman forward Brendan Lane returned to the floor after missing Thursday’s seven-point win against Oregon State. He scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds in 23 minutes but seemed to favor his left ankle at times.
“His ankle, I’m sure, will be sore,” Howland said. “He showed a lot of character.” … Nelson sat out both games over the weekend while recovering from left eye surgery. Howland said Nelson would be re-evaluated on Wednesday, when his status for the team’s trip to the Arizona schools will be determined. … Junior walk-on Spencer Soo, who stands at 5 feet 8 inches, is being considered for the collegiate slam dunk contest at next month’s Final Four. … The Ducks swept the Bruins for the first time since 2002-2003. … Honeycutt posted career highs in assists (nine) and rebounds (13).