UCLA
7-1,1-0Big Ten
Washington
6-2,0-1Big Ten
UCLA Defeats Washington for First Big Ten Win, 69-58
December 03, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA men's basketball team earned its first-ever Big Ten Conference victory with a 69-58 win over Washington on Tuesday night inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
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The Bruins (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) secured their sixth straight win of the season behind double-digit scoring totals from Tyler Bilodeau (16 points), Sebastian Mack (16 points), and Dylan Andrews (12 points).
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Bilodeau finished just one rebound shy of a double-double, pouring in 16 points and pulling down nine rebounds. The 6-foot-9 forward registered his most efficient outing of the season, knocking down six of his eight shot attempts from the floor. He was 1-for-1 from behind the 3-point arc.
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Providing a massive spark off the bench, Mack matched Bilodeau's 16-point output, with 12 of his points coming in the second half. The Chicago native also contributed five rebounds and three assists. He was 7-for-12 at the free throw line, drawing eight personal fouls from Washington (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten).
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"I told the guys, we won because we only had eight turnovers and we took care of the ball," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We had 16 assists, and that's with missing a bunch of shots that were extremely makeable. Our passing, our team play, our execution was good. We rebounded it as hard as we could. The first half, that's why were winning. When you take care of the ball, play defense, and get second shots, it puts pressure on the other team. Eventually, the ball goes in. But our constant is our defense. We allowed 58 tonight. I didn't think we were as fast and athletic tonight."
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Andrews had a very strong second half, shooting 4-for-5 while netting a pair of 3-pointers in the last 20 minutes. He totaled 10 of his 12 points after halftime.
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Coming into the contest with the nation's best scoring defense, the Bruins held the Huskies to just 18.8 percent from 3-point range and 38.8 percent overall. UCLA gained the lead with 12:50 left in the first half and did not trail for the remainder of the contest.
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The Bruins have now won 13 of their last 15 meetings with Washington.
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Leading the Huskies by a 47-43 margin with 10:40 left in regulation, UCLA pushed its advantage to 13 points at the nine-minute mark. Mack converted an old-fashioned 3-point play with 10:21 to play in the game, helping the Bruins secure a 50-43 lead. Leading 62-54 with under five minutes remaining, Eric Dailey Jr. corralled a steal and Mack buried a 3-point basket at the 4:12 mark to give UCLA a 65-54 cushion.
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The Burins led Washington at halftime, 29-24.
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Bilodeau enjoyed a hot start in the early minutes of Tuesday's showdown by connecting on his first three attempts from the field. He scored two baskets in the paint and nailed the first 3-pointer of the contest. Washington responded by making its next four shots from the field, narrowing the gap to just one point (9-8) at the first media timeout.
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Bilodeau quickly ascended into double-digits by converting an "and-one" and kick-starting a 12-0 UCLA run to prompt a Washington timeout at the 9:15 mark in the first half. The nation's top defense forced seven consecutive misfires and held the Huskies without a point for nearly six minutes during the run.
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The visitors replied with a 9-0 spurt, slicing the deficit to just two points. UCLA missed seven consecutive shots during a scoring draught of over six minutes. Mack helped to break that dry spell for the Bruins with a powerful drive to the hoop, finishing through contact to complete a 3-point play. Despite posting its lowest-scoring half of the young season, UCLA led at the intermission, 29-24.
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Skyy Clark and Kobe Johnson ignited the second half scoring by drilling back-to-back three-pointers, but the Huskies fought back, whittling the lead to just three points during another challenging stretch for UCLA's offense. Mack and Bilodeau rejuvenated both the offense and the home crowd with a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays, pushing the Bruins' lead back into double figures with less than 10 minutes to play.
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The Bruins started to dial it in from distance when Andrews and Clark drained two more shots from beyond the arc to make it a perfect 4-for-4 start to the second half from three-point range.
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Mack and Andrews delivered the finishing blows, sinking two more triples to put the game out of reach in the last five minutes of the game.
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The Bruins will conclude their first week of Big Ten action with a game at No. 12/10 Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. PT at Matthew Knight Arena, with the game available for viewing on Big Ten Network.
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Following this Sunday's game, UCLA will play Arizona in Phoenix (at Footprint Center) on Saturday, Dec. 14, before hosting Prairie View A&M inside Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
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