Men’s basketball struggles to keep head above water in 86-72 loss to Ducks

EUGENE, Ore. — Junior guard Isaac Hamilton opened UCLA’s matchup against Oregon in typical fashion, scoring a quick layup to get the Bruins on the board early. This strike-first offensive mentality usually bodes well for Hamilton – over the past 15 games, the guard has consistently scored in double figures, typically after getting off to a hot start.

That wasn’t the case Saturday.

Hamilton wouldn’t score again until the second half as the Bruins struggled to attack offensively and defend effectively, falling 86-72 on the road to the Ducks. Hamilton was held to 10 points while junior guard Bryce Alford shot 23 percent, forcing freshman guard Aaron Holiday to shoulder the offensive load, totaling 19 points in 35 minutes.

“(Holiday) just attacked. They packed it in a lot so he was basically one-on-one out there,” said senior forward/center Tony Parker. “Isaac has been on a tear so Isaac got a lot of attention tonight. That really opened it up for Aaron, and Aaron took full advantage.”

In contrast to UCLA’s struggling offense, Oregon’s lineup played well off each other and leveled a balanced attack against the Bruin defense.

UCLA had no answer for Oregon’s sophomore forward Dillon Brooks, who led all scorers with 25 points – many of which came off of redshirt senior forward Elgin Cook’s six assists, which he balanced out with 17 points. Senior forward Chris Boucher rounded out the Ducks’ scoring with 18 points on 64 percent shooting.

“They’re very, very active. They play small ball, they run well, Brooks and Cook play so well off each other. The Boucher dude, he can really shoot the three,” Parker said. “They’re just really, really athletic and they really, really pushed the ball.”

Oregon’s offense didn’t just thrive off its consistent scoring, but also off its dominance on the boards. The Ducks pulled down 18 offensive rebounds to the Bruins’ 13, out-rebounding UCLA 42-32 overall.

“We just got killed on the glass. The difference in the game was offensive board play,” said coach Steve Alford. “We got some pretty key stops, I thought, along the line, but 18 offensive rebounds … You give somebody like this on their home court 18 extra possessions or shots – it’s a disaster.”

LAST WEEK: UCLA won its first Pac-12 road game of the season.

Both Alford and Parker said that help defense was the weak link Saturday. Oregon went backdoor on numerous drives to the basket, exploiting UCLA’s vulnerability for 42 points in the paint. The Bruins also struggled to box out against the Ducks’ athleticism, failing to limit Oregon’s second-chance opportunities.

“We didn’t come out and guard the way we should have. We could have guarded a lot better. Our help defense was not good at all,” Parker said. “The guard drops were not there, the bigs weren’t there to protect the rim, so those were just big things (and) they really, really attacked us.”