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Collison, Shipp lead UCLA to eighth straight win

Jan 5, 2009 - 1:07 AM EUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) -- Darren Collison had 22 points and nine assists, leading ninth-ranked UCLA to an 83-74 victory over Oregon in a Pac-10 showdown on Sunday.

Josh Shipp added 17 points with five 3-pointers, and Alfred Aboya chipped in 12 for the Bruins (12-2, 2-0 Pac-10), who shot 54 percent (25-of-46) en route to their eighth straight.

Nikola Dragovic scored 12 points for the Bruins, who shot 59 percent (13-of-22) from beyond the arc.

"We got some open looks and knocked them down," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "(Oregon) pushed us to the limit."

Tajuan Porter scored 24 points for Oregon (6-8, 0-2), which bounced back with a more respectable showing after getting blown out by Southern California, 83-62, in its league opener on Friday.

"We definitely grew since the USC game," said Ducks forward Joevan Catron, who scored 13 points. "We shared the ball and the defense played much better. We came out with a lot of energy. We know we need to make some corrections before the end of the season."

"We played hard today," Porter said. "We just have to learn how to follow the game plan. We grew today as a team, and we did well after a tough loss on Friday. We can't allow mental breaks. We need to be solid."

The Ducks, who shot 35 percent (7-of-20) in the first half, hung around the entire second half but could never tie the game.

"They've been a really solid team for years now," Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. "A few times we were right there, but they didn't let us close the gap."

Porter's rainbow 3-pointer cut UCLA's lead to 64-60 with 6:13 to play. But the Bruins then went on an 8-0 run to grab some breathing room. Aboya hit a pair of free throws, and Shipp nailed his fifth 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 69-60.

On UCLA's next possession, Collison converted a three-point play with 2:50 left to make it 72-60.

Porter later pulled the Ducks to within 72-64 with a layup, but Collison hit a jumper on the other end with 2:03 left to effectively seal the win.

The Bruins then hit nine of their final 10 free throws.

"We attacked the zone better (in the second half) and we were more patient," Howland said.

Collison and Dragovic each scored nine points in the first half and UCLA shot 56 percent (14-of-25) to take a 40-29 lead into the locker room.