No. 24 UCLA Leaves the Desert with a Gritty Win over the Arizona Wildcats, Overcoming a 13-Point Deficit
PHOENIX – The UCLA Bruins (9-1, 2-0) found themselves on the brink of defeat with 10 minutes remaining in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats (5-5). Star Arizona Junior Guard Jaden Bradley had just cashed in two layups to put the Wildcats up 49-36; however, this battle-tested Bruins team was not deterred. UCLA embraced their defensive identity, holding the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 8:46 of regulation. This defensive effort allowed the Bruins to stamp their tracks on the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona with a 57-54 win over the Wildcats.
Throughout the game, UCLA relied on its backcourt’s tenacious defensive approach, and the Bruins came away with 22 turnovers on the night. Junior Guard Dylan Andrews and Senior Guard Kobe Johnson paved the way on defense, accumulating a combined 7 steals.
Source: Arizona Desert Swamp
With this win, UCLA continued to add to its résumé as one of the most formidable defenses in the country. They are currently holding their opponents to only 55.0 points per game, which is the fewest in the country.
On offense, Junior Guard Skyy Clark got off to a scintillating start, draining back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to put UCLA up 16-10 with less than 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
However, UCLA’s lead rapidly disappeared after Arizona began applying significant pressure to the Bruins’ guards, forcing multiple turnovers that translated into fastbreak opportunities. The Wildcats would go on a 10-0 run right before the end of the first half.
Arizona carried this momentum into the second half, which saw them go on their second substantial run of the game. They led the Bruins by 13 points midway through the second half.
However, the feisty Bruins clawed back.
Junior Forward Tyler Bilodeau dominated the paint and the post in the final 10 minutes, drawing parallels to UCLA Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. Bilodeau had a team-leading 17 points, and he continues to establish himself as the primary scorer for the Bruins.
Dylan Andrews also delivered when it mattered most. Although he only finished with four points, his two field goals came in the midst of UCLA’s game-defining run to close out the second half.
Despite these impressive individual performances during the Bruins’ comeback, it was the team-effort on defense that spurred the Bruins to victory, playing with a desperation that has become a key ingredient of this team’s identity.
“We got up, they played with desperation. They got up, we played with desperation,” said Cronin.
After Arizona Sophomore Guard KJ Lewis’ last-ditch heave landed harmlessly on the court, the comeback was complete.
Last season, UCLA lost twice to Arizona, which represented both of their final seasons in the Pac-12 Conference. For years, these teams have been duking it out on center stage as the staple rivalry in the conference. Despite now being in separate conferences, both teams made it apparent that the rivalry is still very well and alive given their unrelenting efforts.
With this win, UCLA now won eight straight and are emerging as one of the hottest teams in college basketball right now.
UCLA will only have a short window to revel, facing the North Carolina Tarheels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the coming weeks.
Although the Bruins persevered and came out with a win, there is still a lot of work to be done to allow this team to fulfill its full potential. Particularly, the Bruins shot 43.8% from the free-throw line and went 4/21 on three-point field goal attempts. Their defensive excellence has bailed out their shooting woes this season, but they will need to improve their shooting if they want to achieve consistent success in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball.
UCLA will face the Texas Prairie View A&M Panthers (1-9) at Pauley Pavilion on December 17th, where they hope to extend their win streak.
