At full strength and fully optimized, UCLA routs No. 16 Oregon for fifth straight win

They’re back to full strength. They’re getting excellent guard play. They’re optimizing lineups that now include a certain Spanish 7-footer.

On the night that Tyler Bilodeau returned from an ankle injury, the UCLA Bruins showed just how formidable they can be.

What was supposed to be a showdown turned into a rout, the Bruins outclassing a nationally ranked team on their home court.

UCLA was better across the board Thursday night during a 78-52 victory over No. 16 Oregon before the most raucous and appreciative crowd of the season at Pauley Pavilion.

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The fans were on their feet and roaring after UCLA center Aday Mara threw an outlet pass reminiscent of legendary predecessor Bill Walton to Eric Dailey Jr. for a vicious one-handed dunk. The Bruins were up by 27 points and everyone wearing blue and gold could dream about the possibilities for a team that seemed lifeless as recently as 2½ weeks ago.

Now look at them.

The Bruins (16-6 overall, 7-4 Big Ten) have won five games in a row and have gone 6-0 against their old Pac-12 rivals, including a nonconference triumph over Arizona.

Dailey led the way with 21 points on eight-for-nine shooting, point guard Dylan Andrews added 15 points without a hint of the cramping issues that sidelined him for the final five minutes against USC, and Bilodeau had 15 after missing most of the last two games because of his sprained ankle.

The Bruins won so comfortably that a good chunk of the crowd departed before the final minutes to beat traffic as UCLA coach Mick Cronin inserted a slew of reserves. Trent Perry provided a final highlight when he threw a lob to William Kyle III for a dunk.

Oregon (16-5, 5-5) had no answers despite a brief flurry to open the second half. The Ducks aggressively attacked the basket, cutting what had been a 17-point deficit to 10 on T.J. Bamba’s driving layup.

But a turning point when came when UCLA’s Aday Mara rejected a driving layup by Bamba and Kobe Johnson came up with a steal in the backcourt, forcing Ducks coach Dana Altman to bend over and place his hands on his knees in anguish. Johnson then drove and passed to Mara for a dunk, sparking a 12-4 run that essentially ended Oregon’s hopes of a comeback.

Center Nate Bittle had 13 points for the Ducks, who shot 41.2% to the Bruins' 55.6%.

Mara finished with seven points, three blocks, three rebounds and three assists in 20 effective minutes, spending stretches playing alongside either Bilodeau or Dailey as part of what might the Bruins’ best lineup.

UCLA played some of its best defense of the season in building a 40-26 halftime lead, the Bruins holding the Ducks scoreless for more than 5½ minutes at one point. Pauley Pavilion was rocking in the final seconds before halftime after Mara’s block of a shot by Brandon Angel triggered a fast break ending in a Johnson layup.

Bilodeau quickly announced his return when he made a three-pointer only 13 seconds into the game and Dailey helped his team build a double-digit lead by making his first five shots before UCLA cooled considerably, making just one of eight shots during one stretch late in the first half.

Mara continued his role as an emerging fan favorite, spinning around Supreme Cook for a dunk and drawing a foul on Cook during Oregon’s next possession after Cook tried to push Mara out of the way for a rebound.

There was no stopping the big man, or his team, on a night everything came together.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.