Three takeaways from Oregon's upset win over No. 12 UCLA
With their postseason hopes hanging by a thread, the Oregon Ducks desperately needed to make a statement with No. 12 UCLA in town Thursday.
They did so in a major way.
The Ducks (18-10, 11-6) raced out to a double-digit lead, fought off a late Bruins’ charge, and closed out the game in emphatic fashion to notch a 68-63 upset win at Matthew Knight Arena. They have now completed a season sweep over UCLA and won the last four contests between the two teams.
De’Vion Harmon led the Ducks with 17 points and five rebounds, and Jacob Young added 14 points, six assists, and five boards. UCLA was forced to roll without star guard Johnny Juzang after he left midway through the first half with an injury.
Here are three takeaways from Oregon’s thrilling win in Eugene.
MKA crowd gets an assist
It’s fair to wonder if Oregon would have escaped with a win Thursday without the energy provided by its crowd.
With 9:50 to go, the Ducks led 52-42 and seemed as though they would cruise to victory. Five minutes — and an 11-0 UCLA run later — they trailed by one point and looked completely shell-shocked.
But then, after a UCLA foul sent Will Richardson to the line for a one-and-one free throw scenario. “Shout” played throughout Matthew Knight Arena during a brief intermission and the crowd sang and danced along in traditional fashion. The Eugene tradition brought Oregon’s 8,950 supporters to life, and the energy in the arena immediately lifted.
Richardson buried both of his ensuing free throws, Oregon got a stop at the other end, and Young drained a pullup jumper to give Oregon a 57-54 lead. Two possessions later, Harmon got to the line after a fastbreak attempt and buried two more free throws to make it a two-score game.
With each ensuing play, the crowd grew louder and louder. By the time UCLA found a way to respond, they were up against a raucous crowd that had suddenly stormed to life.
During his Wednesday press conference, Dana Altman took a slight jab at Oregon’s fanbase. He said the Ducks’ players were frustrated after their loss at Arizona lost weekend because the Wildcats’ fans provided a more supportive game day environment than their own fans have this season.
“The last five, six years, our record is much better than (Arizona’s),” Altman said Wednesday. “So I’m sure that our players look around and see that, recruits look around and see that and it’s kind of hard for them to understand.”
Whether Oregon’s fanbase heard Altman’s comments or was just simply up for the occasion with a marquee opponent in town, it made its presence felt in a major way Thursday.
Oregon came to play
The main question for the Ducks coming into Thursday is which team would show up: the one that was run off the floor at ASU, or the one that gave No. 2 Arizona everything it could handle.
Oregon answered that question almost immediately. It played with a sense of urgency that has been lacking far too often this year and played scrappily against a UCLA squad that is ultra-athletic. This was by no means the Ducks’ most glamorous performance of the year. They turned the ball over 12 times in the first half alone and struggled from downtown early on. Late in the game, they made some inexcusable mental errors that nearly proved disastrous.
But their defensive intensity and willingness to move the ball on the offensive end eventually led to better looks and enabled them to take hold of the game.
Oregon has flashed moments of brilliance scoring the ball this season, but it wasn’t just talent that led to their success Thursday. They played like a team desperate to win.
Kepnang steps up
Oregon big-man N’Faly Dante got off to a bright start early and was active on both ends of the floor. But he got into foul trouble early and picked up his third foul less than two minutes into the second half.
Dante was forced to head to the bench, which seemed to spell doom for Oregon, as he was their most impactful player early on. But, when they desperately needed him, it was Franck Kepnang to the rescue for the Ducks.
Oregon’s sophomore center played one of his best games of the season and finished with eight points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in 21 minutes — his most since Dec. 5.
Time and time again this season, Altman has voiced his desire for his team’s big-men to play with aggression on the defensive end and make their presence felt. Against the Bruins, he got his wish. Kepnang made life difficult for UCLA’s bigs and provided an imposing presence any time one of their guards entered the lane.
“He was unbelievable that first half,” Altman said. “Changing shots, rebounding, finished a couple plays. He carried us that first half, his energy. He contested everything at the rim.”
