UCLA
19-2, 6-2
Arizona
18-2, 7-0
No. 3 UCLA Falls to No. 14 Arizona, 96-85
January 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELESย โ Freshman Lonzo Ball scored a career-high 24 points as No. 3 UCLA fell to No. 14 Arizona, 96-85, before a sold-out crowd of 13,659 in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
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UCLA (19-2, 6-2 Pac-12) dropped its second game of the season, snapping a six-game winning streak. Five Bruins scored in double figures, with seniors Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton scoring 15 and 14 points, respectively.
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Arizona's Kobi Simmons scored a team-leading 20 points for the Wildcats (18-2, 7-0 Pac-12). Lauri Markkanen totaled 18 points and seven rebounds, connecting on 6 of 10 shots from the field.
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In all, six Arizona players scored in double figures to help the Wildcats secure their 12th consecutive victory. Arizona's 96 points were a season high.
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The Wildcats outshot UCLA, making 50 percent of their total shots to the Bruins' 45 percent, and won the battle of the boards by a 42-33 margin.
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The lead changed hands six times in the first half before the Wildcats closed with a 6-0 run to take a 48-37 halftime advantage. Allonzo Trier, who made his season debut after sitting out the first 19 games of the season, scored all six points in the run.
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Arizona built the lead to 14 points early in the second half before the Bruins closed to within two, 67-65, after a 10-1 scoring run that culminated a Hamilton three-pointer with 11:28 to play.
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The Wildcats answered with a 5-0 run, increasing their lead to seven before extending it to 10 points three times before UCLA made another mini-run to close to six on a pair of free throws by Hamilton with 1:09 remaining. On the next possession, Arizona missed a layup, but Markkanen grabbed the offensive board and dunked it while he was fouled to put the game away.
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Ball made 10 of 15 shots, including 4 of 8 from three-point range, and added eight assists and six rebounds.
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UCLA will return to action at USC on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Game time at USC's Galen Center is slated for 8 p.m. The Bruins' game will be nationally televised by FOX Sports 1 (FS1).
