UCLA survives slog vs Oregon, moves to 23-0 this season

UCLA women’s basketball wins a hard-fought game at Oregon

For the second time in a row, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins were pushed to their limits. Once again the Bruins were able to hold off their scrappy opponent in a defensive battle. They scored a 62-52 win over the Oregon Ducks in Eugene.UCLA took the court on Super Bowl Sunday, but any thoughts of the big game were secondary to the challenge at hand. The Oregon Ducks weren’t intimidated by the unbeaten status of UCLA. The Bruins’ defense had another strong showing, but for the second game in a row, UCLA’s offense lacked explosiveness, allowing an opponent to stick around in the game. Oregon scored just seven points in the first quarter, but UCLA put up only 12 against the stingy Duck defense. At halftime, UCLA led 25-19. Oregon shot only 17.1% from the field in the first half. The Bruins’ offense wasn’t much more efficient, shooting just 27.6% in the first half.UCLA shot much better in the second half, with a field goal percentage of 59.1 after the half. For the second time in three games, junior center Lauren Betts’ scoring was kept under wraps. Betts scored just six points against Minnesota but had a career-high 11 assists. Betts scored 19 points against Ohio State on Wednesday. On Sunday her scoring and her playmaking both lagged behind her normal standard, as she scored nine points with four assists and four turnovers. Even when UCLA’s offense improved in the second half, Oregon remained close, getting it to within seven points in the fourth quarter, but three straight UCLA 3-pointers quickly put the lead back up to 16 points, a deficit the Ducks couldn’t climb out of.

UCLA faces USC next. That game is at USC on Thursday night in Los Angeles.