Oregon defeats UCLA 71-66 in overtime

By The Associated Press Published: Jan 28, 2010 at 11:56 PM PST
Oregon defeats UCLA 71-66 in overtime
Oregon forward E.J. Singler, right, celebrates at the buzzer as UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic walks off the court after overtime play of their NCAA college basketball game in Eugene, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. Singler scored eight points, all in overtime, to help Oregon win 71-66. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Oregon received a spark off the bench Thursday night from a player who hadn't had significant playing time since the season opener.

Sophomore Matt Humphrey, who missed two months because of left knee surgery, scored eight of his 15 points in overtime to help Oregon to a 71-66 victory over UCLA.

Senior guard Tajuan Porter also scored 15 points and sophomore forward Jeremy Jacob 11 for the Ducks, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

"It's just a breakthrough game," Humphrey said. "I've been working really hard to get back from my injury. It's been a tough, tough year for me. It showed me my hard work is paying off."

Humphrey, playing his second game back since his injury, opened Oregon's scoring in overtime with two 3-pointers to put the Ducks ahead 61-57.

Freshman E.J. Singler scored six points in the final 1:10 of overtime to help clinch the first Pac-10 win at home for the Ducks (11-9, 3-5 Pac-10).

Oregon received eight points each from Singler, freshmen Jamil Wilson and sophomore Michael Dunigan.

"What a great win for them," said Ducks coach Ernie Kent, whose job performance is being closely evaluated by Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti. "I'm happy for them. They've been through a lot."

Senior Nikola Dragovic had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Michael Roll scored 16 points and Tyler Honeycutt had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bruins (9-11, 4-4). UCLA shot 39.1 percent against Oregon's zone defense, including 10 of 33 on 3-pointers.

After UCLA cut its deficit to 69-66 on James Keefe's rebound basket with 18.9 seconds left, Singler ended the scoring with two free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining.

UCLA forced overtime when Roll made a deep 3-pointer with 10.7 seconds left to tie it 55-55.

Porter then drove the length of the court and attempted an off-balance shot that missed with two seconds left. Honeycutt missed a desperate shot at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

"Their defense was tough to attack," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "When you play against a zone, you're forced to shoot outside shots. I thought they did a nice job with their zone."

After trailing 31-28 at halftime, Oregon opened the second half on an 11-3 run to take a 39-34 lead with 14:55 to play. The run included a 3-pointer from Porter that gave the Ducks their first second-half lead since their last win Jan. 2 at Washington.

UCLA took control early with a 23-6 run that was sparked by three consecutive 3-pointers by Dragovic. That gave the Bruins their largest lead of the game at 29-16 with 5:24 left in the first half.

But Oregon responded with a 12-0 spurt, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Porter, to trim it to 29-28.

The Ducks shot 42.9 percent, including 8 of 19 on 3-pointers. Sophomore point guard Malcolm Armstead had a game-high 12 assists and was one of three Ducks with a team-high six rebounds. Oregon outrebounded UCLA 41-37.

"It feels pretty good, but you can't be satisfied with one," Porter said. "We have to come out Saturday with the same intensity and same sense of urgency and get another one."

Former UCLA star Bill Walton was honored before the game. Walton, who won an NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, was brought to Eugene to help celebrate the final Pac-10 season at McArthur Court. Former Oregon player Larry Holliday (1969-71) was also honored.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.