UCLA
17-3,8-1Pac-12
Arizona
17-3,6-3Pac-12
Late Rally Comes Up Short as UCLA Falls at Arizona, 58-52
January 21, 2023 | Men's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. โ The No. 5-ranked UCLA men's basketball team absorbed a 58-52 loss to No. 11 Arizona on Saturday afternoon at the McKale Center.
The result marked the first loss for the Bruins (17-3, 8-1 Pac-12) in over two months, as UCLA had won 14 consecutive contests since falling to Baylor in Las Vegas on Nov. 20. The streak was the program's longest since the 2007-08 season.
Four players finished in double figures for UCLA on Saturday, led by redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell's 13 points.
Postgame on Saturday: Coach Cronin | J. Jaquez Jr., T. Campbell
Senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (12 points, 11 rebounds) and junior guard Jaylen Clark (12 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles, and freshman forward Adem Bona added 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
UCLA trailed by a dozen points with two minutes left in the contest, but put together a late charge to make it close. Starting with a Bona dunk at the 1:50 mark, the Bruins scored eight unanswered points to cut the deficit to 56-52 with 26 seconds remaining. UCLA could get no closer on its final offensive possession, however, and Pelle Larsson made a pair of free throws after being fouled with 0.9 seconds left to complete the game's scoring.
The Bruins forced three consecutive turnovers off the press during that late-game 8-0 run. First, Jaquez Jr. picked off a hand-off pass at midcourt to set up a Bona lay-up. Clark picked up steals off deflections on UCLA's next two defensive possessions to continue the run. Clark and Jaquez Jr. finished the contest with a team-high three steals apiece.
UCLA led for the majority of the first half, as Arizona (17-3, 6-3) didn't take its first lead until the 3:39 mark. The hosts closed out the opening stanza on a 5-1 run, taking a 26-23 lead into the locker room. Clark was UCLA's top scorer in the first with 10 points, but the Bruins shot just 28.1% percent from the field for the half.
The Wildcats scored nine unanswered points early in the second half โ fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers from Courtney Ramey and Kerr Kriisa โ to gain separation from UCLA. Arizona's lead would remain above six until the Bruins' last-minute rally.
Center Oumar Ballo finished as the top scorer for Arizona with a game-high 16 points. Forward Azoulas Tubelis posted a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.
For the game, UCLA had advantages in rebounding (44-37) and ball control (11 turnovers, compared to 17 for Arizona) but shot a season-low 31% from the field.
UCLA concludes a three-game road trip next week, heading across town to face USC on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 6:00 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on ESPN2, and can be heard on AM 1150.
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