No. 24 UCLA rallies from 13-point deficit to defeat Arizona for eighth straight win
PHOENIX — There was some comforting familiarity Saturday afternoon in a rivalry renewed amid unusual circumstances.
UCLA and Arizona engaged in another classic.
In a sequence that seemed as bizarre as the fan shown drinking a beer out of a shoe on the video board inside the Footprint Center, the Bruins stormed back from what looked like certain defeat.
Only minutes before Skyy Clark made two late free throws and UCLA players mobbed each other in celebration of an unlikely 57-54 victory, the No. 24 Bruins looked like they had forgotten how to play basketball.
Committing one foul after another and repeatedly sending the Wildcats to the free-throw line while unable to generate any offense themselves, the Bruins lost their mojo in falling behind by 13 points midway through the second half.
UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin is frustrated with the state of college sports when it comes to NIL and transfers. Could it shorten his career?
“I think there’s times,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said, “you forget who you are or what it’s about, what it takes to win games.”
The Bruins rediscovered themselves without a moment to spare.
A renewed commitment to defense and a flurry of Tyler Bilodeau baskets were enough to help UCLA (9-1) roll off an eighth consecutive victory. The Bruins finished the game on a 21-5 run, holding the Wildcats (4-5) without a field goal over the final 8:46 and forcing nine turnovers over the last 12 minutes.
“It just shows a lot of toughness, a lot of grit, a lot of character with our guys,” Bilodeau said after the Bruins held Arizona to its fewest points in coach Tommy Lloyd’s four seasons. “We didn’t give up.”
Bilodeau rewarded his teammates for continually putting the ball in his hands, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second half. There was a putback, a couple of layups and a baseline jumper, just as the Bruins were increasing their defensive intensity.
Bilodeau’s baseline jump hook with 1:42 left capped a 15-1 run and gave the Bruins a 55-52 advantage before Arizona’s K.J. Lewis made two free throws to shave the Wildcats’ deficit to a point.
Arizona got the ball back, but the Bruins doubled teamed Trey Townsend in the corner and he lost the ball out of bounds for a turnover with 40 seconds left, continuing a theme for a team continually flustered by UCLA’s pressure.
“It’s not easy to connect three passes against them,” Lloyd said after his team lost to the Bruins for only the second time in their last eight meetings. “They’re sticky, they’re denying, they’re handsy.”
Less than a week after his winning three-pointer against Oregon, UCLA’s Dylan Andrews hoisted another shot from long range in the final seconds. This shot was off the mark, but Clark chased down the rebound in the corner, dribbled toward the perimeter and was fouled with 6.1 seconds to go. What was Clark’s routine as he approached the free-throw line for the foul shots that would extend UCLA’s cushion to three points?
“Really,” Clark deadpanned, “just deep breaths and thinking of Cronin.”
UCLA’s Dylan Andrews wasn’t supposed to take the Bruins’ last shot against Oregon, but he banked home the game winner in the closing seconds Sunday.
Lewis’ three-pointer that could have tied the score wasn’t close and the Bruins could celebrate a triumph amid unlikely circumstances.
The nonconference game between former Pac-12 rivals was technically considered at a neutral site, though basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy’s designating it as “semi-home” for Arizona only began to capture the essence of the scene.
Loud “U of A!” chants from a crowd awash in red first broke out in the latter part of the first half with the Wildcats in the midst of a big run. The volume would only rise from there as Arizona’s 21-6 push in the second half prompted Lloyd to flap his arms to increase the decibel level.
UCLA found its own resounding ally in forward Kobe Johnson, who told his teammates they were going to win even after they fell behind by double digits.
“Kobe was a big, big reason for that,” said Clark, who finished with a season-high 15 points. “In the huddles, in the timeouts, dead balls, he was just telling us to not give up and we’re going to come back, we’re going to win. I mean, that energy is infectious and so it just spread throughout the whole team.”
Guard Jaden Bradley finished with 12 points for the Wildcats, who committed 22 turnovers and didn’t get nearly enough out of leading scorer Caleb Love. UCLA held its longtime nemesis to seven points on three-for-10 shooting, including one of seven from long range.
After blowing a double-digit lead against Oregon only to prevail in the final second on Andrews’ shot, UCLA showed it could win in equally breathless fashion against the Wildcats.
“I thought we got up, they played with desperation,” Cronin said, alluding to his team’s eight-point lead in the first half, “they got up, we played with desperation.”
In his remarks after the game, Cronin mentioned the teams combining for 36 turnovers and only six three-pointers, saying it was not a thing of beauty.
That is, until his team forged the perfect ending.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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