UCLA
6-8,1-2Pac-12
Stanford
7-6,2-1Pac-12
Men's Basketball Loses to Stanford, 59-53
January 03, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team dropped a 59-53 decision to Stanford in a Pac-12 contest at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Wednesday evening.
The Cardinal outscored the Bruins in the second half, 33-23, as UCLA shot just 21.4 percent after halftime.
Sebastian Mack led UCLA (6-8, 1-2 Pac-12) in scoring with 14 points. The Bruins also received 13 points from Berke Buyuktuncel and 12 points from Adem Bona.
Stanford (7-6, 2-1 Pac-12) received a team-leading 17 points from freshman Kanaan Carlyle off the bench. Carlyle made 5 of 10 shots against UCLA and was 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
UCLA opened the game on a 10-0 scoring run and led throughout the first half, taking a 30-26 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Stanford continued to cut into UCLA's advantage and claimed a 39-36 cushion, midway through the second half.
The Bruins trailed by six points, 51-45, with 2:50 to play in the game. Buyuktuncel picked off a Stanford pass on defense and was fouled on the Bruins' next offensive possession. The 6-foot-9 freshman sank both free throws, helping UCLA to cut Stanford's cushion to 51-47. The Bruins never reduced the Stanford lead to any fewer than four points.
"We can't shoot 21 percent in the second half of a game and have any chance to win," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "The fact that you don't get blown out is a miracle. We're struggling mightily on the offensive end to shoot the ball into the basket. The teams are packing it in on us, and we're struggling to shoot it in. Second thing, our turnovers are just destroying us – two straight games where we turn the ball over 24 percent of our possessions. We had no chance to win, absolutely no chance to win."
The Bruins made eight of their first nine baskets on Wednesday night, staking a 10-0 lead through the game's first five minutes. Bona scored a pair of baskets for the Bruins down low and had a steal, early in the game. The 6-foot-10 sophomore finished with four blocks and three steals, while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
Stanford cut UCLA's cushion to two points, 26-24, with 1:38 to play in the opening half. The Bruins responded with two perfect trips to the foul line and led 30-26 at the end of the first half.
In the first half on Wednesday, the Bruins limited Stanford to 8-of-24 shooting and 2-for-10, from beyond the 3-point arc..
The Cardinal took the lead with 12:41 left in the second half, 39-36, when Andrej Stojakovic sank a corner three-pointer. The basket marked the first time Stanford had led all game.
Stanford made their third three-pointer in a row on the next possession before Buyuktuncel ended the Bruins' scoring drought with a triple of his own. The basket cut the Stanford lead to three, 42-39, which was as close as the Bruins would get down the stretch.
The Bruins return to action against California in a Pac-12 tilt this Saturday evening (Jan. 6). Game time in Pauley Pavilion is 7 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game this Saturday against the Golden Bears will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
