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Oregon Basketball: Ducks Take Care of Business In Win vs UCLA

By Justin Phillips

EUGENE, OREGON - JANUARY 26: Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks drives tot the basket on Cody Riley #2 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. #4 of the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena on January 26, 2020 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON - JANUARY 26: Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks drives tot the basket on Cody Riley #2 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. #4 of the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena on January 26, 2020 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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For fans of Oregon Basketball, we all know that when it gets to this time of year, Head Coach Dana Altman seems to have his team playing at their best. On Thursday night, he proved it again in an important win over the UCLA Bruins.

With ten minutes left in the game, it appeared the game could go either way, but Altman employed his press defense and confused and befuddled the Bruins over the final ten minutes. The Ducks went on a crazy 35-16 run to win the game in the end 82-74. The win means Oregon needs a victory vs Oregon State on Saturday to win the Pac-12 Championship in an anything but normal 2020 season.

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Against the UCLA Bruins, four Oregon starters scored in double figures. Once again, Chris Duarte led the way. He finished with a key three-pointer in the final minutes. Overall he had 23 points with 4 rebounds and an assist. Duarte is now padding his already extensive list of accomplishments this season which may end up seeing him named the Pac-12 Player of the Year following the win over UCLA.

Will Richardson, who spend the first part of the season injured and not able to see the court is starting to show his experience on the floor. He is not quite up to last year’s speed, but he is close. He finished with 15 points in 40 minutes. Richardson had two rebounds and two assists shooting 6 for 8 from the floor and 2 of 3 from three-point range.

Jules Bernard was the top scorer for UCLA with 23 points. Oregon was able to limit him off a hot first-half start. He hit 7 of his 8 shots in the opening 20 minutes. In the second half, he was held to 8 points, which was key in the win for Oregon Basketball. Despite the pandemic and a game that should have been played in Los Angeles, Oregon was ready for the Bruins, winning their fourth game in just 7 days.

The 2020 regular season comes to an end on Sunday in Corvallis. A win for Oregon means a Pac-12 Championship. It would mark back-to-back championships for the Ducks. Oregon and Oregon State meet Sunday in Corvallis. Tipoff is set for 5 pm Pacific Time on Fox Sports 1.

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