It had been a performance impressive in its nothingness.
Zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, zero steals and zero blocks in 15 minutes.
The only tangible statistical sign that UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. had played against Washington earlier this week came in the four fouls that he logged, which contributed mightily to his struggles across the board.
So it was encouraging for the Bruins to see their usually productive forward back to his old ways Saturday.
An early spin move leading to a turnaround jumper put Dailey on the board against Oregon, topping his total production from three days earlier less than three minutes into the game.
Dailey was just getting started. There were a couple of free throws after getting fouled on a putback attempt. A three-pointer after coming around a screen from Tyler Bilodeau. Another three-pointer. Another spin move leading to a turnaround jumper.
By then there were nearly eight minutes left in the half and Dailey was already well on his way to a big afternoon during the Bruins’ 74-63 victory over the Ducks at Pauley Pavilion.
Finishing with 14 of his season-high 18 points in the first half, Dailey logged his latest excellent showing against Oregon after having averaged 20 points on 88.2% shooting during the two games between the teams last season.
As UCLA (7-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) tends to do, it had trouble closing out the Ducks (4-5, 0-2) after building an 18-point lead. Oregon was within 61-58 after guard Jackson Shelstad (20 points) pump-faked Bruins counterpart Donovan Dent (13 points, three assists) out of the way and rose for a jumper.
But three consecutive assists from UCLA guard Skyy Clark fueled a 7-1 run that gave his team a slightly more comfortable cushion. The Bruins were firmly in control a few minutes later after center Xavier Booker finished a give-and-go involving Bilodeau with a ferocious dunk.
The next step for Dailey, who made six of nine shots and grabbed eight rebounds, will be to repeat his performance from Saturday as he continues a search for consistency in his second season as a Bruin. He’s alternated single- and double-digit games over each of his last four games.
Dailey had plenty of help in pushing UCLA to a second consecutive victory while handing Oregon a fifth consecutive loss.
Clark continued his fiery streak from long range, making three of six three-pointers on the way to 13 points, and Bilodeau (14 points, eight rebounds) and Booker (12 points, five rebounds) were also productive.
UCLA reserve guard Trent Perry had two points in 10 minutes in his return from an ankle injury that had forced him to miss the game against Washington.
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