Reeves Nelson is back. Is he ever.

The freshman forward pushed UCLA to a 75-69 victory over Arizona Thursday afternoon in a quarterfinal of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament at Staples Center, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Absent in the last four games because of laser surgery that repaired a partially torn retina, Nelson had no trouble finding the basket. Despite a few problems–fogging, a nose piece falling out–with the protective goggles he was wearing, Nelson made eight of nine.

In the semifinals on Friday at 6:30 p.m., UCLA (14-17) will play either California, the conference’s regular-season champion, or Oregon,

With Nelson and Michael Roll providing the offensive push, the Bruins shot 64 percent in the first half and led 37-33.

After making all six of his shots, Nelson had 12 points at halftime. His senior teammate Roll made five of 10 shots and also had 12 points at the half.

(article and photo source: Los Angeles Times)