The No. 5 University of Arizona men’s basketball team remains undefeated, winning 69-65 over No. 15 UCLA on Friday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. MST in the Intuit Dome located in Inglewood, Calif. The Wildcats are now 4-0 after Arizona came away with a stunning victory against one of the most anticipated matchups this season.
Arizona held on late, converting on 60% of its shots and forcing the Bruins to only hit 42.9% of theirs. Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso led the Wildcats with 20 points coming off the bench, shooting 6-for-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from the 3-point line.
The veterans continued to shine as senior guard Jaden Bradley followed with 15 points, hitting 6-for-10 of his shots along with four rebounds and three assists.
“Make no bones about it, we need our vets,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “They’ve been in these games before and I’m asking them to make some sacrifices just cause I’m trying to have a big picture in mind.”
Junior center Motiejus Krivas collected 10 points and eight rebounds while senior forward Tobe Awaka was a magnet near the rim, leading the game with 10 rebounds.
“I was a very downhill guy, free throw line guy and then obviously coming to a bigger level you get met with physicality, bigger guys and you kind of have to adapt,” Dell’Orso said. “So, that’s something that in the offseason that I’ve gained, you know, this muscle and this understanding of the offense, that’s something I’m trying to bring back in terms of not really something I have to develop, it’s already been there, it’s just kind of been hidden.”
Despite four Bruins ending the night in double figures, it wouldn’t be enough to combat the 28 bench points Arizona collected compared to UCLA’s 3 points.
First half
A minute into the first half, Brayden Burries grabbed a steal and followed it up with a 3-pointer shortly after. UCLA matched Arizona on its next possession as Xavier Booker made his own shot from beyond the arc. The Wildcats went on a 3-minute scoring drought, allowing the Bruins to get ahead 15-5 after a jumper made by Tyler Bilodeau. Despite Bilodeau getting the shot off with an and-one opportunity, he missed the free throw.
Arizona tapped into an offensive rhythm as Dell’Orso sparked a run for the Wildcats with a 3-pointer. Throughout the run, Krivas found his way under the rim, dunking the ball to make it a one possession game.
The Wildcats evened out the score at 15 after Dell’Orso hit a shot beyond the perimeter, putting pressure on the Bruins with 10:36 remaining in the first half.
Dell’Orso grabbed Arizona’s second lead of the game with a reverse layup off a fast break, making the score 19-18. UCLA continued to respond, but so did Arizona, as Bradley attacked the rim after catching an across-the-court pass from Dell’Orso.
The Bruins had an opportunity to score however, Bilodeau was called for a traveling violation, sending the ball Arizona’s way. Arizona forced 13 first-half turnovers, converting 16 points on the Bruins’ mistakes.
UCLA forward Eric Dailey Jr. grabbed a defensive rebound, finishing on the other end with a layup to then regain the Bruin’s advantage. For about 2 minutes, both programs went cold from the floor, succumbing to multiple miscues.
With just under 5 minutes remaining before the half, UCLA found a 3-point lead after Trent Perry scored a layup. Dell’Orso put Arizona in position of the lead before halftime, putting up a 3-pointer and layup in 30 seconds.
The Wildcats went into the half leading the Bruins 28-25. Dell’Orso led Arizona with 13 points, going 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. Defensively, Burries collected three steals. Arizona’s bench collectively scored 15 points compared to UCLA’s 3 points.
Second half
The Wildcats went into the second half hungry for more, attempting to keep their lead. Dailey Jr, made a 3-pointer to slim down the 29-28 advantage, but Krivas was able to get around his defender on the other end, securing a hookshot jumper.
UCLA did its best to control the slim deficit, but Arizona wouldn’t go away. At one point, Awaka broke down the defense in the paint, not giving up the opportunity for a second-chance layup.
Arizona freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov scored on back-to-back shots, collecting a 7-point, 39-32 lead for Arizona. Bilodeau made a needed 3-pointer for UCLA, but Awaka dunked the ball to put the game at 41-35 with 15:22 left to play.
With errors made by Arizona, UCLA was able to regain its momentum and eventually the lead, going on a 8-0 scoring run. On an opportunity to separate the score, Koa Peat was called for a traveling violation, sending the ball back to UCLA.
Bilodeau tied the game at 45, followed by a jumper and free throws by Skyy Clark, giving the Bruins a 4-point lead. The points started piling on for the Bruins with Bilodeau making another 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 8-points with 7:18 remaining in regulation.
With free-throws exchanged on both ends, Arizona slowly trimmed down the lead UCLA built. Bradley cut it to a one possession game with a pull-up jumper, cutting the score to 59-57. Both programs traded missed shots.
Dell’Orso took a deep 3-pointer, the first of the second half to grab the 60-59 lead over UCLA, leading to a timeout.
Bilodeau regained the lead for UCLA, hitting a jumper but Bradley responded directly on the other end with a layup. Bradley was left open on the 3-point line, nailing the shot, regaining a 2-point, 65-63 lead over the Bruins.
With 19 seconds remaining, UCLA made it a one-possession game after scoring a layup, shortly followed by a timeout called by the Bruins.
Out of the timeout, a foul was called on Booker, sending Dell’Orso to the line for a pair of free-throws. Dell’Orso hit both shots, marking 32 consecutive made free-throws.
“When you have a coach that backs you and trusts you, that’s all you can ask for. It gives you the ultimate confidence to go out there and play your game,” Dell’Orso said.
UCLA was unable to respond as the Bruins got a shot off, but the 4-point lead was enough for Arizona to get by and secure the rival victory.
This game saw 10 lead changes as both teams did not go away easily, but only one came out with a win as Arizona improves to a 4-0 overall record in the early season.
Looking ahead
Arizona moves on to its next challenge against the No. 3 University of Connecticut. The Wildcats remain on the road to face the Huskies on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. in Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. The game will be streamed on Fox Sports 1.
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