Men’s basketball crushed by Oregon in turnover-ridden performance
Redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Hill (right) posted 16 points and eight rebounds in UCLA men’s basketball’s loss to Oregon on Sunday. Hill is now averaging 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. (Kanishka Mehra/Assistant Photo editor)
Men's basketball
| UCLA | 75 |
| No. 12 Oregon | 96 |
By Sam Connon
Jan. 26, 2020 4:40 p.m.
This post was updated Jan. 27 at 12:52 a.m.
The first Bruin to score Sunday afternoon had the No. 24 on the back of his jersey – the same number the late Kobe Bryant wore in his final 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Redshirt sophomore forward/center Jalen Hill put up 16 points and eight rebounds for UCLA men’s basketball (10-10, 3-4 Pac-12) in its 96-75 road loss to No. 12 Oregon (17-4, 6-2) on Sunday, with tipoff coming just hours after the death of Bryant and eight others in Calabasas, California. The Bruins and Ducks took part in a moment of silence at Matthew Knight Arena before tipoff.
Hill – who shared a jersey number in common with Bryant – opened the game by hitting his first three shots and finished 5-of-7 from the field. In a game that featured a season-high 23 UCLA turnovers, Hill managed to avoid giving the ball away for his first 24 minutes on the court while co-leading the Bruins with two steals.
While Hill and freshman guard/forward Jake Kyman – who led UCLA with 20 points – were able to limit their turnovers, the same could not be said for their teammates.
Freshman guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., sophomore guard Jules Bernard and junior guard Chris Smith each had at least four turnovers in the game, and the Ducks were able to pick up 34 points off turnovers in the process.
The Bruins did manage to protect the ball for the first four-plus minutes of the game, however, building an early 9-7 lead without turning the ball over once. But after 10 UCLA turnovers over the course of five minutes, Oregon scored 14 unanswered to spark an eventual 30-5 run.
Despite shooting above 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 80% from the free throw line for the first time all season, the Bruins were unable to dig themselves out of the hole.
Fifteen of Kyman’s 20 points came in the second half, and he and sophomore guard David Singleton both went 3-of-4 from deep in the frame. UCLA’s 10 3-pointers tied its most in a game this season, and its 41.7% mark from downtown was its best since the start of conference play.
Oregon’s 57.1% field goal percentage in the game marked the third time UCLA allowed its opponent to shoot over 55% from the field, and the Bruins now fall to 0-6 when their opponents shoot 47% or better.
