LAS VEGAS — The Ducks are dancing once again.
Johnathan Loyd and Carlos Emory sparked Oregon off the bench, and the third-seeded Ducks held on to beat top-seeded UCLA 78-69 to claim the Pac-12 Conference tournament championship and earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament late Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Oregon (26-8) has its first NCAA berth since 2008 and its first conference tournament title since 2007.
Emory had a game-high 20 points and Loyd finished with a season-high 19 points for the Ducks.
It was a sloppy start for both teams. Oregon had seven turnovers in the first 5-1/2 minutes and trailed 12-4 before getting a big spark from Loyd off the bench.
Carlos Emory sank a three and Loyd added another on the next possession as part of a 19-6 run to give the Ducks a 23-18 lead.
UCLA coach Ben Howland was issued a technical foul when he tossed his jacket like a discus into the stands after Emory took charge on Muhammad. Dotson made both free throws to push Oregon's lead to 27-19.
Dotson his third three-pointer of the half two minutes later, and Emory added another in the final minute of the half to help the Ducks to a 41-32 halftime lead.
The Ducks were 7 of 9 on three-point attempts in the first half and matched their season high of 41 first-half points against a Pac-12 opponent. Oregon ranked No. 11 in the Pac-12 in three-point shooting at 31.8 percent during the regular season.
Emory and Loyd each had 12 first-half points and Dotson had 11.
UCLA's standout freshman, Shabazz Muhammad, sat for an extended stretch in the first half with two fouls. But he finally got going early in the second to pull the Bruins within 49-46 with 15:36 remaining.
Larry Drew II hit a three to cut the Bruins' defict to 54-52 at the 12:04 mark.
E.J. Singler capped a quick 8-0 run for the Ducks with a floater in the lane and Loyd added a 15-foot jumper to push the Ducks' lead to 66-58.
Dotson swished a three-pointer with 2:32 left to push the lead to 71-62, and Loyd added an up-and-under layup to make it 76-66 with 1:02 left.
UCLA played without one of its standout freshman, Jordan Adams, who broke his foot during the final play of the Bruins' semifinal victory over Arizona on Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment