Late turnovers cost UCLA in loss to Oregon, which moves atop Pac-12
UCLA coach Mick Cronin was praising the readiness of Oregon guard Chris Duarte to play in the NBA on Monday. Cronin said Duarte was the best player in the Pac-12 conference outside of USC’s Evan Mobley – “the conference’s best prospect.”.
Duarte proved Mick Cronin’s pregame praise to be correct, scoring 23 points, including a 3-point dagger that iced the game in UCLA’s 82-74 loss to Oregon in Eugene on Wednesday night.
UCLA was hanging on despite a scoring drought and a plague of turnovers in the final minutes, but Duarte’s 3-pointer with 2:16 left ballooned the Ducks’ lead to seven, but it felt like 17. Fellow guard Will Richardson poured on another 3 on the next possession.
The Bruins (17-7 overall, 13-5 Pac-12) held a nine-point lead in the second half and it vanished. Oregon used a full-court press that flustered UCLA.
“At winning time against high-level teams, the tougher team is going to win,” Cronin said. “Tough enough to get the good shot, to take care of the ball, sit down and get a stop…we’re just not there.”
UCLA, now losers of two straight, had 12 of its 14 turnovers in the second half. Five came in the final 6:08. It was reminiscent of the Bruins’ loss Saturday to Colorado when they committed the same number of turnovers in the final 6:20.
“The turnovers destroy you,” Cronin said.
Jules Bernard led UCLA with 23 points, three rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 15 points, Cody Riley scored 11, and Tyger Campbell had a game-high eight assists and six points.
“Both games we had the game and let it slip, which is unacceptable,” Bernard said of UCLA’s back-to-back losses.
A second-half surge helped UCLA to its biggest lead of the game, 56-47, stopping Oregon (18-5, 13-4) from converting a field goal for nearly four minutes. Offensively, the span was highlighted by a dunk from Mac Etienne, followed by a 3-pointer from Bernard. It was part of a 12-1 run.
The Bruins later matched the nine-point lead again, 60-51, before Oregon put a run of its own together. The Ducks went on a 15-2 run to take a 66-62 lead highlighted by a Eugene Omoruyi steal and dunk with six minutes to play.
Oregon had four players in double figures, including Duarte. LJ Figueroa had 18 points. Richardson and Omoruyi each had 15.
For Cronin, who’s just in his second year at the helm without Chris Smith (season-ending injury) and center Jalen Hill (personal reasons), Wednesday night’s game is a barometer for where his program is as it approaches March.
“I’m trying to build a program,” Cronin said. “Games like this send a message to me about where we’re at versus where I want to be. It exposes your weaknesses, tells you what you have to practice…that’s the bright side.”
The Bruins aren’t completely out of the Pac-12 regular-season title race, but now they’ll need help. If Oregon loses to Oregon State on Sunday, that could propel UCLA back into first, but it would take a win at Pauley Pavilion over USC on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS.
“I’m extremely confident in this team, and that we will bounce back,” Jaquez Jr. said.