Jan. 6, 2007

By Luke Andrews

Special to CSTV.com

Eugene, ORE. - Call it a redemption game for Oregon point guard Aaron Brooks.

One day after missing free throws late in the game against USC that would have tied it, the senior buried a go-ahead baseline jump shot with 13 seconds left to propel No. 16 Oregon (14-1, 2-1) to a 68-66 upset of No. 1 UCLA (14-1, 3-1) Saturday in front of a boisterous 9,087 at McArthur Court.

"Aaron's clutch," Oregon guard Bryce Taylor said. "You look to him at the end of the game to just take over and he's been stepping up big time. Hopefully he can continue to play at that high level."

Brooks finished with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. He also made his only three-point attempt of the game and recorded a team-high three steals and three assists.

"We all wanted it," Brooks said of the victory, his first against the Bruins. "We lost a heartbreaker against USC, and you never want to fall under .500 in Pac-10 play. So this was a big game."

The 6-foot, 160-pounder scored a combined 56 points against the Los Angeles schools after pouring in 31 against the Trojans. He said there were no lingering effects from Thursday.

"That's behind me," Brooks said. "It happened. I missed a free throw. Stuff like that happens. You aren't going to make every shot. You come out the next day and play hard and that's what I did."

And he did it from start to finish.

He scored Oregon's first basket of the game and six points in a span of 2:33 in the first half to push the Ducks' lead to 20-12. He was a perfect 5-of-5 shooting in the first half and led all scorers with 16 points.

"I thought Brooks was spectacular tonight," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "He's got outstanding talent, and he used it today."

When UCLA trimmed Oregon's 10-point halftime lead down to two points early in the second half, Brooks answered with a jumper that started a modest 5-0 run.

Then the Seattle-native saved his best for last. After UCLA point guard Darren Collison nailed a game-tying three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, Brooks dribbled the ball the length of the court down the right sideline, split a potential trap by Collison and forward Alfred Aboya and swished the game-winning basket.

After the final buzzer sounded and UCLA's desperation three-pointer missed, Brooks said he was taken aback as the crowd rushed the floor.

"It was kind of disbelief," Brooks said. "I knew we had it in us, but when the buzzer went off, it was like `alright is there a foul?'

"It's my first win against the Bruins. First time knocking off the number one team in the nation. It means that we can play with anybody. It means a lot."

After inconsistencies plagued much of his Oregon career so far, Brooks has been steady performer for a team looking to avenge unmet expectations after a 15-18 record last season.

Earlier this season, Brooks became just the 25^th player in Oregon history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for his career and is 19^th on that list with 1,143 points. He entered Saturday averaging a team-best 17.6 points per game and 4.9 assists per game.

"He's clearly much better," UCLA guard Arron Afflalo said. "I haven't seen every game of his, but I have seen his last two games. He's playing at a very high level. He's quick, he gets really low to the ground to get by you, and he finds ways to make shots. He's a big reason why they won today."

Part of his resurgence this season, Oregon coach Ernie Kent said, is the addition of freshman Tajuan Porter to Oregon's roster. Last season, Brooks was Oregon's only true option at point guard. Now with Porter as a viable back-up, Brooks is able to get a much-needed rest and even play the two-guard position when they are both on the floor, as they were Saturday to start the game.

"His success is due to a couple of things," Kent said. "Just maturing and growing up as an individual and Tajuan Porter. What Tajuan Porter has done is free him up...It takes the pressure off him. He can just run the floor and have lot of freedom just to play now."

His teammates have certainly noticed the transformation.

"It's not really his game because, if you come watch practice or watch us whenever we're playing, Aaron's incredible," Taylor said. "I've really never played with someone like him that has all the skills and all the tools. With him, it was just a matter of getting his mind right and getting confident and knowing that we put trust in him to step up when we need him."

He certainly did Saturday.