EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon didn't panic when it got behind, and that kind of poise is just one of the qualities that has the Ducks playing their best basketball since the 1970s.

Darius Wright, one of the Pac-10's underrated point guards, is another big reason.

"He's a great player," Oregon's A.D. Smith said of Wright, who had 17 points and nine assists in the Ducks' 73-58 victory over UCLA (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, unranked AP) on Saturday night. "I personally believe he's the best point guard in the Pac-10. We got a lot of easy buckets, and almost all of them are because of Darius."

Smith added 18 points for the Ducks (15-3, 6-1 Pac-10), who grabbed a share of the Pac-10 lead. Arizona also is 6-1, and Southern California was 5-1 heading into Saturday night's game at Oregon State.

The Ducks are off to their best overall start since they went 15-2 to begin the 1974-75 season. Oregon's 6-1 start in the conference is the school's best since the Pac-8 began play in 1968.

Jerome Moiso and Billy Knight each had 13 points to lead the Bruins (12-6, 3-4), who have their worst Pac-10 record after seven games since they started 3-4 in 1987-88, the season before Jim Harrick took over as coach.

"Across the board, they dominated us in every phase of the game," said Bruins coach Steve Lavin. "We made some poor decisions and had some poor shot selection. We had no presence in the post. We broke down defensively. Their collective defensive pressure was key, and they played with a sense of urgency."

The Ducks trailed 40-39 with 11:38 left in the game, but went on an 18-0 run over 6½ minutes to take control.

"We did it with outstanding defense that got them out of their rhythm," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "When we locked up on them in the second half, they were forced to take some tough shots, and that just opened up the running game for us.

"We are a veteran team, and it's not surprising to have this kind of run, especially at home."

Wright had 10 points during the rally, including two 3-pointers. He scored 15 points in the second half and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

The Ducks trailed 23-11 with about six minutes left in the first half but ended the period on a 10-2 run to get within 31-29 at halftime.

"We didn't want them going into halftime thinking they had this game," said Oregon's Bryan Bracey, who had 16 points. "We knew we could take it in the second half if we came out with energy and defense."

UCLA took its last lead on a 3-pointer by Jason Kapono with 11:53 left. Wright countered with a 3-pointer to give Oregon back the lead at 42-40 and start the Ducks' decisive run.

Oregon was 0-for-8 in 3-pointers in the first half and finished 3-for-15. But the Ducks made 20 of 24 free throws. UCLA got to the line just six times, making four.

Bracey has made 23 of his last 30 shots from the floor.