UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks Match Player Stats On Mar 03, 2021

Chris Duarte scored 23 points, including a 3-pointer to cap a tiebreaking 7-0 run with 2:16 remaining, as Oregon moved into first place in the Pacific-12 Conference with a much-anticipated 82-74 victory against visiting UCLA on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.

LJ Figueroa added 18 points and Will Richardson and Eugene Omoruyi both scored 15 for the Ducks (18-5, 13-4 Pac-12), who can repeat as conference regular-season champions with a victory Sunday at rival Oregon State. The Ducks have won nine of their past 10 games to overcome two separate shutdowns this season because of coronavirus concerns.

Jules Bernard scored a career-high 23 points for the Bruins (17-7, 14-4). Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 15 points and Cody Riley scored 11. Johnny Juzang, the Bruins' leading scorer with 14.6 points per game, was limited to six points on 3-for-12 shooting from the field. Juzang missed all six of his 3-point attempts.

It was the first meeting between the teams this season. The matchup at Oregon was originally scheduled for Dec. 23, but that was postponed when one of the referees tested positive for COVID-19. That game was rescheduled for Jan. 19 in Eugene, but that was scrapped when the Ducks had to shut down their program for the first time. The game was set to be moved to Los Angeles and played Feb. 1, but Oregon was on its second pause.

That led to Wednesday's make-up game, which was close throughout. Both teams shot better than 50 percent -- UCLA was 31 of 56 from the field (55.4 percent) and Oregon was 31 of 51 (60.8).

UCLA led 39-37 after a first half in which neither the Bruins nor Ducks led by more than four points.

Bernard's 3-pointer with 13:28 remaining not only eclipsed his career-high of 21 points, but it gave the Bruins a 56-47 lead, their largest of the game.

The Ducks rallied to tie the score at 62-all on two free throws by Duarte with 6:43 left and Omoruyi converted a steal into a dunk to give Oregon the lead. Richardson's layup on Oregon's next possession made it 66-62 advantage.

UCLA, which shot just one free throw in the opening 35 minutes, made back-to-back three-point plays, by Jaquez and Riley, to tie it at 68.

The Ducks then used a 7-0 run -- layups by Figueroa and Omoruyi and a 3-pointer by Duarte -- to pull away.

--Field Level Media