By BETH HARRIS
Oregon earned at least a share of the Pac-12 title for the first time since 2002, and once again, the ninth-ranked Ducks did it on the road.
Back then, they earned the crown by sweeping the Los Angeles schools to end the regular season. They’re halfway there now.
Tyler Dorsey scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half and Oregon rallied in the second half to beat UCLA 76-68 on Wednesday night.
“Now we need to go beat USC to be the only one at number one,” said Dorsey, a freshman from Los Angeles. “We’re not going to celebrate until we finish off USC.”
Dillon Brooks added 15 points, and Elgin Cook had 14 points, making all six of his free throws for the Ducks (24-6, 13-4 Pac-12), who won their fourth in a row and 10th in 12 games. Dorsey had a team-high nine rebounds, helping the Ducks control the boards, 40-28.
“They’ve been best team in our league all year and they proved it again in second half,” UCLA coach Steve Alford said.
Isaac Hamilton scored 19 points, Tony Parker added 18, and Bryce Alford 16 points for the Bruins (15-15, 6-11). They have lost three straight and six of eight with one game remaining in the regular season.
“When you lose, you feel terrible. It messes up your whole night,” said Parker, the Bruins’ lone senior. “It’s a sour taste and I’ve had this taste in my mouth too much this year.”
After leading by 11 points in the first half, the Bruins made a last-gasp attempt to win. Alford, who was 6 of 14 shooting, hit consecutive 3-pointers that got them to 71-68 with 59 seconds left.
After a timeout, the Ducks passed the ball around before Brooks coolly sank a 3-pointer for a 74-68 lead. Hamilton missed a layup and Alford snagged the offensive rebound before turning the ball over with 11 seconds left.
UCLA led by seven points early in the second half before the Ducks scored nine straight to take a 50-48 lead. The Bruins tied it four more times, but never regained the lead.
“We knew coming out in the second half that we needed to hit them first with a lot of energy,” Dorsey said. “That’s what we did and we got stops.”
Bryce Alford’s 3-pointer put UCLA back in front 23-21 and launched an 18-12 run that ended the first half with the Bruins leading 38-33. Alford and Hamilton each had six points in the spurt, with three other players scoring, too.
“Guys were just trying too hard, trying to make plays, and just got going a little too fast,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “The second half our ball pressure was better and they weren’t able to get the ball inside as easily.”
TIP-INS
Oregon: The Ducks clinched the No. 1 seed for the Pac-12 tourney in Las Vegas. … They tied the school record for most wins over four seasons at 102. … F Chris Boucher had three blocked shots to break the single-season school record with 96. … The Ducks are 15-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.
UCLA: Hamilton has scored in double figures for 26 straight games. He’s the only Pac-12 player in double figures in each of his team’s league games this season.
AT THE LINE
Oregon was 15 of 18 from the free throw line compared to UCLA’s 5 of 9. Only four Bruins got to the line in the game.
“That puts a lot of pressure on your offense,” the elder Alford said.
BETTER EVERYWHERE
Besides the boards, the Ducks were better in just about every category.
They outscored UCLA 10-0 in second-chance points, 6-0 in fast break points and their bench outscored UCLA’s reserves 19-8. The Bruins had a slight edge, 36-32, in the paint.
UP NEXT
Oregon: Concludes regular season at Southern California on Saturday.
UCLA: Hosts Oregon State in regular-season finale on Saturday.