UCLA Shows Resiliency in Blowing Out Oregon 75-56

Adem Bona went out with a shoulder injury in the second half, and the Bruins responded with an unreal performance.

Tyger Campbell put the Bruins on his back and carried the team into the Pac-12 Tournament Finals. (Photo credit: @UCLAMBB)

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I’m running off adrenaline a bit here, so let me do this quick and dirty.

UCLA led Oregon 32-30 at the half. There’s not much to say here, as UCLA struggled a bit to hit their shots and were having issues keeping Oregon off of the boards. This was a pretty good example of how much the Bruins missed Jaylen Clark, especially on defense as the Bruins did not have a great answer for when Oregon went big. Still, it wasn’t a bad half when you consider that the Ducks were playing for their postseason lives, being clearly on the outside of the bubble heading into this game and needing a win just to put themselves in the conversation. If you’re looking for something to note, Dylan Andrews came into the game and provided UCLA with a spark that got them out of their typical early funk.

The second half began a bit better for the Bruins, as their shots began falling with more consistency and the defense started looking better. The Bruins were showing off good ball movement and generating open looks with relative ease, and it looked like they were going to start running away with the game.

And then Adem Bona got hurt.

Bona dove for a loose ball in the open and landed awkwardly, immediately clutching at his left shoulder. He would leave the game and would be ruled out for the rest of the game, though he did return to the bench later. Bona did look to be noticeably favoring that shoulder but considering the lack of ice or a wrap on his shoulder, it is likely that Bona avoided a worst-case scenario that would keep him out of the NCAA Tournament. Regardless, I would not be shocked if Coach Mick Cronin kept him out of the game tomorrow no matter the opponent just as a precaution.

For a few minutes after Bona’s injury, it looked like Oregon was poised to take over the game, going on a quick 5-0 run to cut the UCLA lead back to three. The Bruins looked to be staggered a bit and needed to regroup.

Enter Tyger Campbell.

The senior stepped up in a major way to rally the Bruins and put the Ducks on the back foot. He scored 20 of his career-high 28 points in the second half, including keying a 13-5 scoring run after Oregon had cut the lead where he scored 11 of those points. At this point the Bruins had the game well and truly in hand, and when Oregon tried one last gasp to get back into the game, that’s when Pac-12 Player of the Year Jaime Jaquez stepped in, outscoring Oregon 8-2 by himself over a three-minute stretch to put the game firmly out of reach (David Singleton would add one of his three three-pointers in this stretch as well).

This was the definition of a team win. It would have been completely understandable if this team folded after watching another vital player go down with an injury in the span of a week, and yet the team rallied and showed the kind of resiliency that wins championships. Credit should first and foremost go to Mick Cronin and the UCLA coaching staff for building the type of culture that is unflappable in the face of adversity and believes in that every player on the roster can contribute; in fact, Mick Cronin referenced Hoosiers in the postgame interview where he said that as long as the Bruins have five players on the court, they believe they should win.

And the Bruins got contributions all throughout the lineup. Certainly, Campbell and Jaquez (a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds) were exceptional, but every other player made significant contributions when they saw the floor. Amari Bailey did not have the same scoring output that he did yesterday, but he did a lot of the little things well, including grabbing six rebounds and two assists to go with his nine points. David Singleton was a perfect 3-3 from distance, with each make coming at a perfect time for the Bruins (UCLA shot 9-19 from three, an excellent 47.4% from a team that struggles to shoot from the outside with any volume). While he only scored four points, Bona was a force defensively when he played, including staying relatively foul-free for most of the first half and enabling the UCLA defense by handling Oregon’s stud interior player N’Faly Dante without any help.

The bench was also exceptional. I talked about Dylan Andrews earlier but he really did change the complexion of this game and was a positive force whenever he saw the floor. Will McClendon had a much better game compared to yesterday, not so much offensively but playing pesky defense against a longer and taller Oregon team. Mac Etienne was again the first big man off the bench for Mick Cronin, and he played solid minutes, again looking more and more in shape at the exact right time. Kenneth Nwuba’s status was a bit of a question mark heading into this game, but he started seeing action in the second half when Bona left the game and looked to be fine physically, getting two blocks in limited action. I am starting to believe Cronin is using the tournament to make sure Etienne gets as much experience in a short amount of time as he can, which can only pay dividends in the coming weeks (especially if Bona is not 100% at the start of the tournament). Even Abramo Canka saw five minutes of playing time and played some solid defense, grabbing two rebounds and providing Jaime Jaquez some critical rest.

I am of the opinion that the result of tomorrow’s game no longer matters. Yes, it would be nice if UCLA could win its first conference tournament championship since 2014, but at this point, UCLA has accomplished its goal for the tournament. They made the final and were able to figure out how to win games without Jaylen Clark in a live environment. More importantly, they showed the rest of the country that this program is impossible to kill, and that they are the most resilient team in the country.

Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 28 points and six assists. Jaime Jaquez led the team with 10 rebounds. Will Richardson and Quincy Guerrier tied for the team lead with 10 points apiece for the Ducks.

Three Takeaways

1. Player of the Game: Tyger Campbell - That was a virtuoso performance by the senior from Cedar Rapids. When the team needed a spark following Adem Bona’s injury, Campbell stepped up, scoring 20 of his 28 points in the second half, 16 of which came after Bona went down. He also played exceptionally clean basketball, playing 36 minutes without a single turnover. March is when you need your team leaders to step up, and Campbell did so in a major way.

2. Bona’s Shoulder the Story - Adem Bona left the game early in the second half with an apparent left shoulder injury and did not return. He would later return to the bench without any ice or a sling, which is a positive sign for his tournament prospects but will likely be kept out of the Pac-12 Tournament Final tomorrow. That’s fine. UCLA can afford to play without him tomorrow, but they need Bona for the NCAA Tournament to feel better about their chances.

3. Culture > Everything - I think you could make a legitimate argument that Oregon has a talent advantage over UCLA, especially without Clark and once Bona left the game. But it was the Bruins who imposed their will down the stretch and made the Ducks quit. Of all the positive things Mick Cronin has done since arriving in Westwood, the culture he’s brought has to rank right at the top and is the reason you can never count these Bruins out of any game.

The Bruins have advanced to the Pac-12 Tournament Final tomorrow, where they will play the winner of Arizona and Arizona State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM PT.

Go Bruins!

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