LAS VEGAS – After a feeble start, Oregon took a two-point lead over UCLA with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half, when Johnathan Loyd drilled a three-pointer. Having snatched the advantage, Loyd and company refused to give it back to the Bruins, riding the surplus to a 78-69 win in the championship of the Pac-12 basketball tournament.

For the third game in a row, Damyean Dotson was a hot shooter in the first half which was combined with a surprising offensive performance from Loyd, giving the Ducks a halftime lead. Loyd carried his scoring swagger into the second portion of play and in his hometown of Las Vegas, Loyd led his team an upset win over the top-seeded team in the bracket.

The Bruins, who came back from deficits of 15 and 11 in the second halves of their last two games, continued to probe the Oregon advantage into the fading moments of the matchup but Dotson scored his first points of the second half on a long two-point swoosh with 2:36 to go and the nine-point lead proved to be insurmountable.

The Ducks outrebound UCLA 4-0 and blocked the Bruins twice in the final two and half minutes. Up by ten with under 30 seconds to play Johnathan Loyd sent up a floater late in the shot clock that went awry but Emory slammed in the miss, providing the snapshot of Oregon’s impressive win over UCLA.