by Steve Mims

EUGENE, OREGON

The Oregon men’s basketball team lost a chance to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume when UCLA rallied for a 70-63 win over the Ducks Saturday night at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks built a 33-30 halftime lead over the seventh-ranked Bruins before falling short. Jaime Jaquez led UCLA’s comeback with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Jermaine Couisnard had 19 points to pace the Ducks while N’Faly Dante had 13 points and nine rebounds. Oregon is 15-11 overall and tied for fifth in the conference at 9-6.

The Ducks’ final five games of the regular season come against teams below them in the standings beginning with a trip to Washington on Wednesday.

Oregon opened the week with a 78-60 win over USC as Dante led the way with 17 points.

Will Richardson added 16 points and nine assists while Couisnard scored 13 points. Freshman Nate Bittle had 11 points and six rebounds.

OREGON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

^{Oregon Women’s Basketball 2023, Photos by Steve Mims}

Oregon was swept in Los Angeles as its losing streak reached five straight games.

Endyia Rogers led the Ducks with 14 points on Friday during a 56-51 loss at USC. Grace VanSlooten added 10 points in the loss to the Trojans.

Two days later, No. 18 UCLA beat the Ducks 67-57. Rogers led the way again with 19 points while VanSlooten and Chance Gray each had 13.

Oregon has fallen to 14-11 overall and tied for eighth in the conference at 5-9 as it prepares to visit Washington State on Friday.

SOFTBALL

Oregon opened the season by going 3-2 at the Puerta Vallarta College Challenge.

Maryland defeated Oregon 7-3 in the season opener on Thursday before the Ducks defeated Wisconsin 4-2 on Friday. Oklahoma State beat Oregon 3-0 later Friday before the Ducks bounced back to beat Ole Miss 9-3 and North Dakota State 4-3.

Alyssa Daniell led the Ducks by hitting .500 with four RBIs while Paige Sinicki and Kedre Luschar each batted .400 during the tournament.

Raegan Breedlove, Morgan Scott, and Stevie Hansen all earned a victory on the mound.

TRACK AND FIELD

Jorinde Van Klinken set the NCAA record in the indoor shot put with a mark of 64-feet, 2.5-inches at the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

Van Klinken, who transferred to Oregon from Arizona State, also set the Dutch national record.

Jadyn Mays was also a winner for the Ducks in the 60 meters in 7.15 seconds. Shaniya Hall placed third in the 400 at 53.30 to move into ninth place on the school’s all-time list while Aaliyah McCormick was second in the 60 hurdles to move into second in school history.

Isabella Nilsen cleared 12-4 to tie for second in the pole vault while Lexi Ellis was fourth in the triple jump at 43-11 3/4.

LACROSSE

Morgan McCarthy, Haley Cummins, and Haley Taylor each scored three times as Oregon opened the season with a 17-6 win over Xavier at Pape Field. Katie Collins and Anna Simmons each added two goals for the Ducks.

Steve Mims has spent 25 years as a sportswriter, including 21 years at The Register-Guard. He covered University of Oregon athletics from 2013-2020. He works in Eugene as a registered representative and insurance agent at PBC Insurance. He can be reached at smims@pbcins.com.