TOUGH FINISH

Bruins rally but Andrews just misses final shot in 68-66 loss to Oregon

LAS VEGAS >> Dylan Andrews sped for UCLA's life, pushing the pace, the season in the hands of a star who had asserted himself in Las Vegas as the final seconds ticked away.

The play, Andrews said afterward, was executed perfectly. Inbound, with haste, down two points with five seconds to go. The ball found Andrews on the run, the sophomore beating Oregon's Jadarian Tracey down the court, other Bruins spacing around the 3-point arc to give Andrews a sliver of daylight to attack the paint. It was set up perfectly, a miraculous comeback awaiting in the final minutes of this Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup, Andrews lofting a floater over the outstretched contest of Oregon's N'Faly Dante as the horn sounded.

It clanked off the rim. Ballgame. A 68-66 loss. UCLA center Adem Bona put his hands to his temple after the buzzer, unable to accept what had just happened, the Bruins clawing their way back in with a 9-0 run in the final minutes only for their NCAA Tournament hopes to crumble.

“It's horrible,” junior Lazar Stefanovic said in the locker room. “I mean, it's hard to explain in words. People are not athletes. They really don't understand how it is, how you feel after a loss.”

Suddenly, a disappointing UCLA season might be finished, the Bruins (16-17 overall, 10-11 Pac-12) eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention and unlikely to earn an at-merit bid to the NIT. Even if they did, Bruins coach Mick Cronin said on Feb. 22 that he would have a few factors to weigh, including the health of a couple of players and distraction from a critical time in recruiting through the transfer portal, which