This post was updated Dec. 6 at 6:50 p.m.

Late game collapse avoided once more.

After beating Washington by just two points Wednesday night in Seattle – despite holding a 16 point lead with 4:45 remaining in the contest – senior forward Tyler Bilodeau emphasized the importance of preventing complacency.

“When we have a lead like that, we’ve got to execute, execute better offensively, and then it’s all about getting stops and playing defense, getting rebounds,” Bilodeau said Friday before practice.

But shades of the Husky affair seemed to bleed into the Bruins’ play Saturday afternoon.

A 13-point halftime lead – an advantage that reached as much as 18 with 1:32 remaining in the first half – vanished as quickly as it appeared, with the lead reaching as few as three points with 7:38 remaining in the Bruins’ second conference contest of the season.

Adhering to Bilodeau’s words, a 13-5 run over the last eight minutes led UCLA men’s basketball (7-2, 2-0 Big Ten) to a 74-63 victory over former Pac-12 rival Oregon (4-5, 0-2) Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. Leading the Bruins to the win column was a 44.4% 3-point percentage and double-digit showings from all five starters.

“It got a little close. But we were able to keep the lead better than we did last game,” Bilodeau said. “Just got to keep staying together there. Keep getting stops, stacking stops. We’ve got to get the rebounds. Can’t allow offensive rebounds. And just keep staying together.”

The Bruins’ efficiency from beyond the arc emulated the team’s hallmark trait – a characteristic stipulated by coach Mick Cronin long before the first tipoff of the season.

“We shoot it way better, it’s not even close,” the UCLA men’s basketball coach said in August when asked if the team’s shooting had improved.

And on Saturday, Cronin’s entourage corroborated his evaluation.

Junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. paced the Bruins with 18 points on 6 for 9 shooting from the field while also knocking in two 3-pointers.

Dailey entered the home affair having failed to convert through the nylon once in Seattle, committing more fouls than attempted shots. The junior’s zero-point performance was his lowest scoring output since failing to score in the Big Ten quarterfinal against Wisconsin on March 14.

But the Palmetto, Florida, local wasted no time making up for his Wednesday night production drought, scoring 12 first-half points from all three levels, including but not limited to attacking downhill, shooting from beyond the arc and reaching into his bag of post skills in the mid range.

“Sometimes in basketball, it’s not going to be your night. It’s part of the game,” Dailey said. “Good thing we play every other day. So just reset my mind, do the same routines that I’ve been doing, and just get ready to play another game.”

Joining Dailey in the efficiency department was senior guard Skyy Clark, who finished Saturday with 13 points on 4 for 11 shooting from the field and 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. His performance comes two days after he dropped a career-high 25 points against Washington on Wednesday, courtesy of six 3-pointers.

Clark continues to excel as the two-guard alongside senior guard and reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent. 

But while Clark made his shots count, Dent struggled to consistently find the net.

The Associated Press All-American honorable mention from last season scored 13 points, but did so on 4-for-14 shooting from the field. Despite Dent’s lackluster shooting performance, Cronin said he prioritizes keeping the guard locked in on helming the team.

“There’s going to be nights it goes in, nights it doesn’t go in, and he doesn’t have to be Superman on our team, so I just have to keep him focused on being a leader,” Cronin said. “Be a leader and worry about your defense. Be a leader and worry about your team. Just worry about your team.”

The backcourt also struggled to contain sharpshooter Jackson Shelstad, who paced Oregon with 20 points, including four 3-pointers.

While the former Louisville and Illinois transfer contributed to the scoreboard, he struggled defensively against Duck guard Jackson Shelstad. The backcourt sharpshooter paced Oregon with 20 points, including four 3-pointers.

Shelstad’s blazing 0-to-60 speed and transition quickness allowed him to take advantage of the slow-reacting UCLA defense, consistently finding open looks and teammates on the opposite corner or wing.

But while Shelstad feasted, center Nate Bittle left Pauley Pavilion hungry. 

The preseason First Team All-Big Ten selection finished with just three points, despite coming into the affair averaging a career-high 16.3 points per game.

“What we did defensively was not let him score in the low post,” Cronin said. “The same defense that they were playing, we were kind of playing, and it kind of negates being able to force-feed Bittle in the post or for us force-feed Tyler in the post, so it’s hard to get it to him. So Nate didn’t get a lot of post-up, and he’s coming off injury.”

Bilodeau stressed the importance of mitigating Bittle’s face-up shot and perimeter shooting before practice on Friday, and Bittle’s single-digit scoring performance – his worst point total since failing to score against Minnesota on Jan. 25. – validates the defensive scouting report.

Bittle’s inefficiency seemed to permeate the rest of the Ducks’ roster as it finished shooting 19-for-56 from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc.

But the Ducks’ shooting splits throughout the affair also seemed to plague the Bruins as they shot 32.1% and 20% from the field and beyond the arc, respectively. 

“We didn’t play great in the second half; neither team did. Both teams shot 32%, so it was a brick fest,” Cronin said.

UCLA will have a week to improve its second-half tendencies before its next game against No. 11 Gonzaga in Seattle on Dec. 13.