UCLA
5-3,0-0Pac-12
Villanova
7-4,0-0Big East
Men's Basketball Loses to Villanova, 65-56, in Philadelphia
December 09, 2023 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – The UCLA men's basketball team dropped a 65-56 decision to Villanova before a crowd of 16,823 at the Wells Fargo Center in a nonconference contest on Saturday night.
Villanova (7-4) outscored UCLA by a 24-11 margin over the final eight-plus minutes of the contest, erasing the Bruins' 45-41 lead with 8:24 remaining.
Lazar Stefanovic (14 points, nine rebounds) and Adem Bona (11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) were the Bruins' only players to have scored in double figures. UCLA finished the game having shot 36.7 percent from the field and was outrebounded by a 43-38 margin.
"We had three plays that beat us," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We walked away from a shooter twice, and we didn't get a rebound on a missed free throw. With that being said, give them credit – always give the other team credit. They have a program with a lot of pride. They had an unbelievable crowd tonight, playing off-campus. They had all these people here after they lost a few in a row. It's impressive. Big credit to their fanbase to have the type of crowd they had. That's what happened on those three plays. We're just not tough enough right now. Our margin for error isn't what it has been."
Villanova made 11 of 35 attempts from 3-point range (31.4 percent) on Saturday night, sinking seven of those 3-pointers in the second half. Tyler Burton scored a team-leading 18 points, while Burton and Eric Dixon both registered 10 rebounds.
Saturday night's game featured 10 lead changes and four ties, with the Bruins taking a 29-25 lead at halftime. Villanova quickly answered at the start of the second half, tying the game at 31-31 on a 3-point basket by Mark Armstrong with 16:28 remaining.
The two teams continued to trade baskets over the next 10 minutes. Aday Mara helped UCLA to reduce Villanova's cushion to 41-40 at the 11:43 mark. Two minutes later, Sebastian Mack grabbed a defensive rebound and raced the length of the court, scoring on a layup to give the Bruins a 42-41 lead. An old-fashioned three-point play by Bona, on UCLA's next offensive possession, put the Bruins ahead 45-41, with 8:24 left in the contest.
Villanova surged ahead with an 11-0 scoring run over the next four minutes of the second half. Hakim Hart nailed a 3-pointer for the Wildcats, tying the game at 45-45, before Brendan Hausen hit a 3-point basket with 6:12 to play. Leading 48-45, Villanova pushed its lead up to 52-45 at the 4:47 mark.
The Bruins trailed by as many as nine points, at 56-47, with 2:55 to play and cut Villanova's cushion to four points with 1:19 to play.
A missed jump shot by Jordan Longino was corralled by Villanova's TJ Bamba, who scored underneath the hoop. Bamba's basket pushed Villanova ahead, 60-54, and a pair of free throws by Tyler Burton gave the Wildcats a 62-54 cushion in the final minute.
UCLA will return to action against Ohio State (8-2) in the annual CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, Dec. 16. UCLA's showdown with the Buckeyes will take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Game time is 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET, in Atlanta). UCLA's contest will be nationally televised on CBS.
