The UCLA men's basketball team earned its fifth consecutive victory by taking down No. 16 Oregon, 78-52, on Thursday night inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
The Bruins (16-6, 7-4) were dominant from start-to-finish in their wire-to-wire victory over the nationally-ranked Ducks (16-5, 5-5). UCLA's defense shined, boosting their record to 10-0 this season when holding its opponent under 65 points. Additionally, the Bruins are 60-3 since the 2019-20 season when limiting the opponent under the 60-point mark.
This was UCLA's fourth win over an AP-ranked opponent this season.
"Obviously, we jumped on them early, I thought that was the key. We came out of the gate being highly efficient on offense," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "I'm sure Coach Altman would say that's not their best game...But I'm very proud of our guys for this last stretch of games. It's been a long grind for us since December, since we started in the Big Ten."
Leading the Bruins' offense was Eric Dailey Jr., totaling a game-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting while going a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range. This was the second 20+ point performance of the season for the transfer from Oklahoma State.
In his return from injury, Tyler Bilodeau rejoined to the starting lineup and poured in three shots from deep in his 15-point outing. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds on the night. Dylan Andrews equaled Bilodeau with 15 points in the contest, making three of his five attempts from beyond the arc.
Kobe Johnson dropped nine points, pulled down four boards, and handed out three assists. Aday Mara made a significant impact off the bench, contributing seven points and leading the team with three blocks.
Bilodeau kick-started the Bruins' hot start by sinking a 3-pointer shortly after his first touch of the ball. The momentum continued as Dailey Jr. caught fire, hitting four consecutive jumpers, including one from 3-point range, leading to a scorching 9-for-12 start for UCLA in the opening minutes. Dailey Jr. was 5-of-6 from the field in the first half, pacing the offense with 11 points.
The Bruins tightened their defense, holding Oregon scoreless for over five minutes during a dominant 9-0 run, extending their advantage to double-digits. During this stretch, the Ducks missed seven consecutive attempts.
Bilodeau gave UCLA some momentum heading into the break by completing an old-fashioned 3-point play before stepping out to the perimeter to knock down a triple, his second 3-pointer of the half. He concluded the first half with 10 points and five boards.
After a monstrous block from Mara, the Bruins raced down the floor and Johnson finished off a layup in transition to give his team a 14-point lead (40-26) at halftime.
UCLA's lead grew to 18 points after making five consecutive field goals, a stretch that included a thunderous dunk from Mara and 3-pointers from Dailey Jr. and Andrews.
Skyy Clark added a 3-pointer to extend the margin beyond the 20-point mark. In the closing stages of the contest, Dailey Jr. sunk his third triple of the night before throwing down a massive dunk during a 15-2 run and electrify the home crowd.
The Bruins continue its homestand on Tuesday, Feb. 4, hosting No. 7 Michigan State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (PT), inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The contest will be available for viewing on Peacock.
