The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (4-5) fell 57-54 to No. 24 UCLA on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Phoenix in the Footprint Center. Arizona is 2-3 in its last five games as the Bruins entered Phoenix on a seven-game winning streak.
Jaden Bradley led the Wildcats with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Caleb Love closely followed, putting up 10 points and six rebounds.
The Bruins were led by Tyler Bilodeau, who put up 17 points on 8-for-15 field goal shooting. Notably, Dylan Andrews put up four steals and the game-tying layup to help propel UCLA towards the win.
First half
Tobe Awaka scored the first 3 points for Arizona but UCLA opened strong as the Bruins found a 7-3 lead. To mention, Motiejus Krivas is out indefinitely with a lower left leg injury as his status remains uncertain as he goes through further evaluation.
Love retaliated as he made the shot to narrow the gap 7-5. Just eight minutes into the game, UCLA forced five turnovers on Arizona compared to the Bruins’ two. UCLA forces an average of 18.6 opponent turnovers per game. Anthony Dell’Orso tied the game at 10 with a 3-pointer but was shortly followed with back-to-back 3-pointers by UCLA. Trey Townsend ended the 6-0 scoring run with a layup to keep the Wildcats in the game.
Bradley forced a turnover to find KJ Lewis as he finished on the other end with a made dunk. Henri Veesaar followed with another shot, cutting the lead to 2 points. The Wildcats’ defense continued to pressure UCLA as they gained another possession when Bradley forced a turnover, capitalizing on a 10-0 scoring run as Carter Bryant helped take the 26-24 lead with under five minutes remaining in the first half.
Despite 13 first half turnovers, Arizona went into halftime only down 30-28. Veesaar led the Wildcats with 6 points and four rebounds, shooting 3-for-6 on his field goals. Arizona collectively shot 54.2 percent in the first half, including 24 points in the paint.
Second half
Head coach Mick Cronin took out Eric Dailey Jr. early less than a minute in the second half after picking up this third foul. Love made his first 3-pointer of the game to give Arizona a 32-30 lead.
The Wildcats held onto their lead as Townsend extended the 6-point advantage with a layup. Townsend continued to contribute offensively, pushing the score to 45-36, forcing a UCLA timeout with 12:33 left in the game.
Bradley stretched the lead to 13 points as the Wildcats went on a 13-2 run with 10:28 left in the game. UCLA found a way to respond as the Bruins went on a 6-0 scoring run to shorten the 52-50 score. Andrews made a layup on the fast break to tie the score with 3:43 remaining on the clock.
Arizona’s defense tried to set multiple screens but repeatedly committed moving fouls. The Wildcats took their last timeout after fouling UCLA with seven seconds left in regulation, trailing the Bruins by 1-point.
Ultimately, the Bruins overcame a double-digit deficit to win the game 57-54, extending their winning streak to eight games.
Looking ahead
Arizona will return home for a three-game home stand as the Wildcats look to take on Samford University on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in McKale Center.
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