Thursday, March 20
Lexington, Ky.
6:25 PM PT
UCLA
23-10,13-7Big Ten
72
vs
47
Utah State
26-8,15-5Mountain West
1
2
F
Utah St.
27
20
47
UCLA
39
33
72
Dylan Andrews
Photo by: Jan Kim Lim
UCLA Defeats Utah State, 72-47, to Advance in NCAA Tournament
March 20, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. -ย The No. 7-seed UCLA men's basketball team cruised to a 72-47 victory over Utah State at Rupp Arena in the NCAA Tournament first round on Thursday night.
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Double-digit scoring performances from Skyy Clark (14 points), Eric Dailey Jr. (14 points), and Aday Mara spearheaded an efficient offensive showing for UCLA (23-10).
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The Bruins assisted on 22 of their 26 made field goals on a night where they posted a field goal percentage of 48.1 (26-of-54). Dylan Andrews excelled in his role as a facilitator with his team-leading eight assists.
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UCLA also shot above the 40 percent mark from three-point range, making 10 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc. Clark led the way with four triples, a season-high for the Los Angeles native. The Bruins were perfect from the charity stripe, making all 10 of their free throw attempts.
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This is the first time UCLA shot 100 percent from the free throw line since the 2021-22 season when the Bruins went 11-for-11 from the line in their victory over USC in the semifinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament on March 11, 2022.
ย
Mara made a massive impact off the bench, totaling 10 points (4-of-5), six rebounds, five blocks, and two assists.
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UCLA's 25-point win has propelled them to a second-round matchup against No. 2-seed Tennessee (28-7) on Saturday, March 22. Game time and television selection are to be determined.
ย
UCLA moved the ball effectively in the opening half, assisting on 14 of its 16 field goals to build a 12-point cushion (39-27) at the break.
ย
Andrews paced the offense in the early minutes by knocking down a pair of three-pointers. The Bruins then created some separation after Clark's high-flying dunk followed by a three-ball in transition ignited a 7-0 run.
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Mara and Lazar Stefanovic came off the bench and immediately took on facilitator roles, combining for five assists within their first four minutes on the floor. Stefanovic totaled four dimes in the first half to lead the Bruins.
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Utah State dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds to accumulate 14 second-chance points.
ย
Stefanovic buried a triple to extend UCLA's advantage to double-digits at the 2:49 mark in the first half, then Mara threw down a pair of thunderous dunks on back-to-back possessions to cap a 14-2 run.
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UCLA received 17 first-half points from its players coming off the bench. Mara led the bench squad with eight points, while Stefanovic poured in seven.
ย
Utah State struggled against UCLA's relentless defensive pressure on Thursday night, managing to make only four of their 31 three-point attempts. The Bruins' defense was particularly stifling during a stretch, forcing the Aggies to miss 18 consecutive shots from beyond the arc.
ย
The Bruins extended their lead beyond the 20-point mark with a 14-0 run in the second half, fueled by seven points from Kobe Johnson and a three-pointer from Clark. This resulted in a 26-point lead for UCLA, its largest of the contest. Johnson concluded his night with eight points, eight boards, four assists, and two blocks.
ย
Utah State made one last push, rallying for a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 16, but a fade-away jumper from Dailey Jr. and a three-ball from Tyler Bilodeau restored UCLA's 20-point advantage and all but sealed the victory in the closing stages.
ย
The Bruins will take on No. 2-seed Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament second round on Saturday, March 22.
ย
ย
Double-digit scoring performances from Skyy Clark (14 points), Eric Dailey Jr. (14 points), and Aday Mara spearheaded an efficient offensive showing for UCLA (23-10).
ย
The Bruins assisted on 22 of their 26 made field goals on a night where they posted a field goal percentage of 48.1 (26-of-54). Dylan Andrews excelled in his role as a facilitator with his team-leading eight assists.
ย
UCLA also shot above the 40 percent mark from three-point range, making 10 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc. Clark led the way with four triples, a season-high for the Los Angeles native. The Bruins were perfect from the charity stripe, making all 10 of their free throw attempts.
ย
This is the first time UCLA shot 100 percent from the free throw line since the 2021-22 season when the Bruins went 11-for-11 from the line in their victory over USC in the semifinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament on March 11, 2022.
ย
Mara made a massive impact off the bench, totaling 10 points (4-of-5), six rebounds, five blocks, and two assists.
ย
UCLA's 25-point win has propelled them to a second-round matchup against No. 2-seed Tennessee (28-7) on Saturday, March 22. Game time and television selection are to be determined.
ย
UCLA moved the ball effectively in the opening half, assisting on 14 of its 16 field goals to build a 12-point cushion (39-27) at the break.
ย
Andrews paced the offense in the early minutes by knocking down a pair of three-pointers. The Bruins then created some separation after Clark's high-flying dunk followed by a three-ball in transition ignited a 7-0 run.
ย
Mara and Lazar Stefanovic came off the bench and immediately took on facilitator roles, combining for five assists within their first four minutes on the floor. Stefanovic totaled four dimes in the first half to lead the Bruins.
ย
Utah State dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds to accumulate 14 second-chance points.
ย
Stefanovic buried a triple to extend UCLA's advantage to double-digits at the 2:49 mark in the first half, then Mara threw down a pair of thunderous dunks on back-to-back possessions to cap a 14-2 run.
ย
UCLA received 17 first-half points from its players coming off the bench. Mara led the bench squad with eight points, while Stefanovic poured in seven.
ย
Utah State struggled against UCLA's relentless defensive pressure on Thursday night, managing to make only four of their 31 three-point attempts. The Bruins' defense was particularly stifling during a stretch, forcing the Aggies to miss 18 consecutive shots from beyond the arc.
ย
The Bruins extended their lead beyond the 20-point mark with a 14-0 run in the second half, fueled by seven points from Kobe Johnson and a three-pointer from Clark. This resulted in a 26-point lead for UCLA, its largest of the contest. Johnson concluded his night with eight points, eight boards, four assists, and two blocks.
ย
Utah State made one last push, rallying for a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 16, but a fade-away jumper from Dailey Jr. and a three-ball from Tyler Bilodeau restored UCLA's 20-point advantage and all but sealed the victory in the closing stages.
ย
The Bruins will take on No. 2-seed Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament second round on Saturday, March 22.
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Team Stats
USU
UCLA
FG%
.300
.481
3FG%
.129
.417
FT%
.700
1.000
RB
35
38
TO
11
9
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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