LAS VEGAS –
Adem Bona spread out on the court, every inch of his wide wing to chase down the loose ball. The immediate nod and squeeze of the left shoulder area elicited a nod from a full-fledged fan.
UCLA couldn’t absorb another serious injury.
Already down their best defender, the Bruins lost another starter midway through the second half when Bona sat for an extended stretch before getting up and slowly going to the locker room Friday night at T-Mobile Arena.
The absence of Bona next to Jaylen Clark, who was sidelined with a leg injury, left UCLA with an unexpected lineup in the second half of UCLA’s Pac-12 tournament semifinal against Oregon.
Starter Tyger Campbell found himself on the court with reserves Abramo Canka, Dylan Andrews, Will McClendon and Kennth Nwuba. With his team in trouble, Campbell took over with a series of moves that raised the decibel level with each one inside the arena. He entered a long jump. A crossover followed by a jump. A triple Another jumper forced the Ducks into a timeout as Oregon coach Dana Altman scowled in disgust.
For the first time all season, Campbell was in full “Steph mode” as instructed by coach Mick Cronin before the first game. A flurry of points led the second-seeded Bruins to a 75-56 win over the fourth-seeded Ducks.
Bona returned to the bench to cheer his team on to their 12th straight win, celebrating two massive blocks from Nwuba. Bona’s condition was not immediately known, a team spokesman said.
Campbell finished with 20 of his 28 points in the second half and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 18 points for the Bruins (29-4), who will play the winner of the final game between second-seeded Arizona and sixth-seeded Arizona State. tournament on Saturday night.
Will Richardson scored 10 points for the Ducks (19-14), who missed their last chance to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament.
UCLA was literally cursing itself at halftime as Mac Etienne was carted off the court after missing a gimme at the rim off a great pass from Campbell in the final second of the first half.
Oregon center N’Faly Dante looks to pass the ball as UCLA forward Adem Bona defends during the first half Friday.
(Chase Stevens/Associated Press)
The Bruins’ 32-30 lead at that point came thanks to some tight defense and a nice burst off the bench by Dylan Andrews. The freshman guard followed up a floater with a jumper before laying down a perfect lob to Bona for a stunning dunk. Bona had to leave late in the first half after picking up two fouls in an 11-second span, but teammate Amari Bailey generated the biggest roars of the opener when she drained a one-handed layup to put UCLA up 30-26. .
More celebrations and more worries were to come.