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  ELI GILL Billy Knight could only look down in dejection as the Oregon Ducks routed UCLA 91-62 Thursday night. Oregon 91 UCLA 62

By Christina Teller

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

EUGENE, Ore. – It was Oregon’s game from the beginning.

The Ducks put up 12 of the game’s first 16 points, a pace that would continue through the waning seconds of the game, as Oregon defeated the visiting Bruins 91-62 in front of 9,087 bellowing fans at McArthur Court.

The reasons that the Bruins lost can be catalogued, ranging from lack of offensive execution to defense that was described as “bad,” “terrible” and “absent” by various members of the team.

In short, the Bruins didn’t put up much of a fight.

“In the first half, we didn’t play with the kind of poise and composure necessary to win in this kind of environment,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. “If you don’t play with a high level of offensive execution at a place like this against the first place Pac-10 team, you don’t win.”

UCLA (14-6 overall, 6-2 Pac-10) went 0-for-9 from three-point range in the first half and finished with just a 7.1 percent three-point clip, a season worst for the Bruins. That, coupled with Oregon’s 56.7 overall shooting percentage, including 45.5 percent from beyond the arc, led to UCLA’s worst loss to Oregon (16-5, 8-2) ever.

Gadzuric’s play was a key to the game. A hot shooting night from one of the Bruin shooters – Jason Kapono, Billy Knight or Matt Barnes – was necessary. The ability to stop the Duck run, thus getting time to settle into their half-court defense, was crucial.

None of the above happened.

Kapono and Barnes combined for just six points. Knight hit for 14 points overall, but like Kapono and Barnes, he failed to notch a single three-pointer.

Gadzuric got whistled for a foul just under three minutes in, and played timidly for the rest of the game. The combination of Gadzuric’s efforts to stay in the game and the fact that the Bruin defense was forced to stretch to guard Oregon’s multiple shooting threats, left the door open for Duck center Chris Christoffersen to notch his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

“I always get fired up to play a guy like Dan Gadzuric,” Christoffersen said. “He got me a couple times early on, but I ended up getting the best of him tonight.”

Going into the game, the Bruins stressed the importance of being able to play at two speeds. But when it came to game time, UCLA was only able to play at one – Oregon’s high-paced offensive style, which was too much for the Bruins to execute properly.

Oregon guards Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson and Freddie Jones kept the Bruins guessing all night with their rapid ball movement and a barrage of three-pointers.

“We played so intense tonight, so locked in,” Jackson said. “We got on their case early and continued throughout the game, getting stops and scoring. Our early lead was definitely a boost for us.”

Lavin experimented with different line-ups throughout the game; sometimes to mix up the chemistry on the court, others, just to get the younger players some more time.

“I was trying to find a group that was working well together, and I also wanted to give the younger guys some time to get in there,” Lavin said. “As the game wore on, and it became clear that we were down, I started thinking ahead to Saturday, and gave the starters some rest.”

The young guys – Dijon Thompson, Andre Patterson, T.J. Cummings and Cedric Bozeman – got a taste of the big time as the Oregon lead steadily ballooned.

And with the Bruins trailing 69-38 with 11:58 left, UCLA started a quiet redemption with the free-flowing play between Thompson, Patterson and Cummings. The young guys played like they felt comfortable out there – and they played hard, battling for rebounds, diving for loose balls and taking advantage of open looks. The young guns chipped eight points off the Ducks’ lead, bringing the score to 69-46.

But as quickly and quietly as it started, the Bruin noise went away, silenced by the rocking Oregon crowd and by the incessant three-pointers and leaping rebounds of Jones, who finished with a game-high 28 points.

And just as the Oregon fans started getting a bit antsy, Jackson and Christoffersen returned to the game, to take care of business. Oregon built its lead back up to 29 with 5:55 remaining on the clock, and the crowd declared it a victory with their “it’s all over” cheers. McArthur Court was rocking.

Cummings led the Bruins in scoring with 15 points. Gadzuric contributed eight points and seven rebounds in his 18 minutes of play.

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