LAS VEGAS — Dylan Andrews sped for UCLA’s life, pushing the pace, the season in the hands of a star who’d asserted himself in Vegas as final seconds ticked away.
The Bruins had come this far, enough to earn one final possession this Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Oregon on Thursday, from down 10 to a chance to win. And with UCLA down a point and Andrews freewheeling up the floor, the sophomore guard saw a sliver of daylight, beating Oregon’s Jadarian Tracey down the floor and opening a runway to the paint. With Oregon’s N’Faly Dante leaping to contest, Andrews lofted a high-arcing floater that came down to earth as the buzzer sounded.
It clanked off rim. Ballgame. 68-66 loss. And UCLA center Adem Bona put his hands to his temple, unable to accept what’d just happened, the Bruins clawing their way back against a talented Oregon team, only for their NCAA Tournament hopes to crumble in an instant.
Andrews caught fire in the final minutes to pull fifth-seeded UCLA back, hitting a pull-up jumper to kick off a 9-0 run, supplanted by a big-time corner 3-pointer from Lazar Stefanovic and ending on a pair of tough Andrews layups. The sophomore finished with 24 points, averaging 27.5 across two games in Vegas, a clear program cornerstone in the years to come – but it wasn’t enough to push UCLA over the edge.
The Bruins ended a back-and-forth first half up five, neither program shooting particularly well but Bruins freshman guard Sebastian Mack giving UCLA (16-17, 10-11 Pac-12) a big lift by getting to the line and finishing with 12 points before the break.
The fourth-seeded Ducks’ dynamic vet-and-rook backcourt of Jermaine Cousinard and freshman Jackson Shelstad responded in kind in the first minutes of the second half, Shelstad dropping in a beautiful floater off the glass after Bona shook his way to a layup on the other end. And the Ducks (21-11, 13-8 Pac-12) commenced a quick 6-0 run to regain the lead, UCLA’s offense grinding to a halt in the early minutes of the half as Oregon’s Jadrian Tracey dropped in a putback layup to take the lead.
After Bona was subbed out with his third foul, UCLA coach Mick Cronin had no choice but to gamble in Vegas, his top big man cooling on the bench with UCLA’s postseason hopes on the line and rapidly slipping.
With the Bruins down six off a quick run by Oregon in the second half, Cronin called timeout, gesturing in animation for Bona. The heart-and-soul center had largely been held in check by Dante, taking just three shots after a season spent heavy-lifting a floundering UCLA offense from the post. And he made an immediate impact after checking in, drawing a foul and draining a couple free throws, finishing a nice post hook a couple possessions later.
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And then Dante drew a bump on Bona, finishing an and-one through him, and UCLA seemed finished.
Bona went back to the bench with his fourth foul, and Oregon simply overpowered UCLA inside for the next 6:30, extending their lead to eight. Dante, in a comfortable rhythm all night and salsa-dancing after the and-one on Bona, was flashing jazz hands over his eyes after a dish to freshman Jackson Shelstad brought Oregon’s lead to 10 with four minutes left.
In the end, UCLA’s final run fell short as Andrews’ final shot was off, and the Ducks advanced to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.