UCLA
11-6,2-4Big Ten
Rutgers
9-8,2-4Big Ten
UCLA Men's Basketball Downed by Rutgers, 75-68
January 13, 2025 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The UCLA men's basketball team lost to Rutgers, 75-68, on Monday evening before a capacity crowd of 8,000 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Bruins dropped their fourth consecutive game, all in Big Ten action.
UCLA led at halftime, 33-30, but Rutgers (9-8, 2-4 Big Ten) opened the second half with an 8-0 scoring run and never trailed the rest of the way. The Bruins led against the Scarlet Knights throughout the first half.
The Bruins (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) received 16 points each from Eric Dailey Jr. and Sebastian Mack. Kobe Johnson finished the game with a season-high 13 points, connecting on 2-of-4 attempts from 3-point distance.
Rutgers' freshman Ace Bailey registered a double-double against UCLA with 20 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Dylan Harper totaled 18 points and Jeremiah Williams finished with 11 points.
Rutgers outscored the Bruins by a 45-35 margin in the second half. The Scarlet Knights pushed ahead by as many as nine points with just under six minutes to play in regulation.
"We had a lot of open looks," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "You can't give up 45 points in the second half and win a conference game, period. I don't care what the name of your team is, and where the game's being played, you're not going to win. Layups and free throws, getting beat off of the dribble, we really struggled to guard the ball."
Rutgers shot 56.5 percent in the second half after having made just 37.9 percent of its shots in the first half. The Scarlet Knights out-rebounded UCLA by a 37-29 margin, as Bailey had 10 rebounds and Lathan Sommerville pulled down nine boards.
UCLA kicked off the contest with a 7-0 run. The Bruins' early led was highlighted by a 3-point from Lazar Stefanovic, who finished the game with eight points. Johnson had a strong offensive start for UCLA, knocking down a pair of baskets inside and connecting on a 3-pointer to help the Bruins push ahead, 14-7.
Rutgers responded with a 9-2 scoring run to tie the contest with nearly 10 minutes to play before halftime. Stefanovic drained a jump shot in the final moments of the first half to help UCLA maintain a 33-30 cushion at halftime.
The Scarlet Knights seized momentum early in the second half. An 8-0 scoring run forced UCLA to call a timeout with the Bruins trailing, 38-33. Rutgers opened the second half having connected on seven of eight shot attempts and was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc.
UCLA tied the game, 41-41, on a layup by Dailey Jr. with 15:53 remaining in the game. The Bruins went nearly five minutes without hitting a shot, and Rutgers pushed ahead by seven points (52-45) with nearly 10 minutes to play.
Mack brought the Bruins' modest scoring drought to an end with a 3-pointer. He followed with a strong driving floater on the team's next possession. UCLA missed six consecutive shot attempts from the field during a 1-for-7 stretch. Rutgers led by nine points, with 5:48 to go and later, with 5:14 left to play.
UCLA mounted one final charge and reduced Rutgers' cushion to 63-59 on a layup by Dailey Jr. After Harper missed at the other end of the court for Rutgers, Johnson connected on a 3-pointer with 2:08 to play to cut the Bruins' deficit to 63-62. UCLA was unable to tie the game or take the lead from that point.
With 1:40 to play, Bailey hit a corner 3-pointer to put Rutgers back ahead by four points (66-62, with 1:40 to play).
UCLA will return home to host Iowa on Friday, Jan. 17. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' Big Ten contest against Iowa will be nationally televised on FS1. In addition, the Bruins will host Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
