The UCLA Bruins look for a road sweep of the Oregon schools today as they battle the Oregon Ducks in the second-ever game at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon's new basketball court opened with a win over USC on Thursday, while the Bruins were busy beating Oregon State in Corvallis. UCLA (10-6, 2-2) has won four of their last six games in Eugene, and nine of their last 12 against overall against Oregon, although the Bruins were swept last season by the Ducks.
The Bruins got out to a fast start Thursday night in Corvallis, building a 17-point lead over the Beavers. However, Oregon State battled back to take a two-point lead in the final minutes, but UCLA scored the final seven points of the game to win, 62-57. Reeves Nelson and Lazeric Jones each scored 13 points for the Bruins. Jones' 13 points were accompanied by three steals and three assists, which was all the more impressive considering he has a ruptured tendon in the middle finger on his right hand.
Nelson leads the Bruins in scoring (14.8 points per game), rebounds (8.1 per contest), and field goal percentage (56.5%) this season, and has been particularly effective in conference play. In four conference games, Nelson is averaging 16.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.4% from the field.
Oregon is 8-9 on the season and 1-4 in the Pac-10. Senior forward Joevan Catron leads the Ducks in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (6.4 boards), but missed Thursday's game against the Trojans. Today's 2 p.m. PST game will be televised by Prime Ticket, with Bill Macdonald, Don MacLean, and Courtney Jones on the call.
For more information on today's game, be sure to read Bruins Nation.