UCLA
10-2,2-0Pac-12
Kentucky
7-3,0-0SEC
UCLA Defeats No. 13 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden, 63-53
December 17, 2022 | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – Senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. logged a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead No. 16 UCLA past No. 13 Kentucky, 63-53, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden as part of the CBS Sports Classic.
Making their first appearance in Madison Square Garden since Dec. 2013, the Bruins (10-2) recorded their seventh consecutive victory since dropping a pair of games in Las Vegas in mid-November.
Jaquez Jr. and Jaylen Clark each had four steals in the win. Clark finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Tyger Campbell added 15 points to round out UCLA's list of double-figure scorers.
UCLA limited Kentucky (7-3) to just 32.8 percent shooting from the field. The Bruins forced 18 turnovers by the Wildcats, including 12 in the first half.
"We know what we're capable of if we defend and play with the toughness we played with this week," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We had a few more turnovers than we're used to tonight, but we're still plus-five in that category. We out-rebounded Kentucky by one. We have enough talent. You have to be able to defend the other team. It's really hard to win when you give up 79, 80 [points] to ranked teams – good luck. It's hard to get a lot of points on Kentucky, it just is."
With an 87-60 victory last Wednesday at No. 20 Maryland, UCLA registered consecutive victories over top-25 AP ranked teams for the first time since the 2021 NCAA Tournament, when the Bruins toppled No. 5-ranked Alabama in the Sweet 16 and No. 4-ranked Michigan in the Elite Eight.
Chris Livingston led Kentucky with 14 points, connecting on 5 of 8 shots. Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe finished with eight points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Tshiebwe had eight offensive rebounds.
Jaquez Jr. was instrumental for UCLA, particularly in the first half, when he scored 12 points and totaled eight rebounds. The Bruins entered the locker room at halftime with a 35-27 advantage.
UCLA used an 8-2 scoring run early in the first half to secure a 15-9 cushion with just under 14 minutes to play. The Bruins never trailed the rest of the game, but Kentucky did tie the contest (40-40) with 14:25 to go in regulation.
Clark helped kick-start UCLA's first-half scoring run, sinking a jumper after a timeout. Jaquez reeled off four consecutive points. Back-to-back jump shots from Campbell and David Singleton capped off the Bruins' scoring run.
Midway through the first half, Jaquez Jr. scored six consecutive points. A jump shot by Jaquez Jr. at the 6:28 mark in the opening half pushed UCLA ahead, 31-18, marking the Bruins' largest lead in the game.
Kentucky trimmed the Bruins' advantage early in the second half, using an 11-3 scoring run to tie the contest at 38-38, with 15:13 left in regulation.
UCLA held off Kentucky's second-half rally from that point, eventually scoring six straight points to help regain a six-point cushion (at 46-40). Jaquez Jr. and Singleton teamed up on the key play of that drive, as Jaquez Jr. swatted a rebound from his own missed shot to the top of the floor for Singleton, who drained a 3-pointer. That key basket by Singleton prompted Kentucky to call a timeout.
Kentucky hung close, as Sahvir Wheeler knocked down a jump shot with 4:31 to play. That basket cut UCLA's margin to 55-53. The Bruins held Kentucky scoreless for the rest of the game. UCLA scored the next eight points over the game's final four minutes.
A driving layup by Campbell with 42 seconds to play pushed UCLA ahead, 61-53.
Clark provided the strong exclamation point on the win, swatting away a pass by Kentucky and racing the length of the court for an uncontested dunk with 17 seconds remaining.
UCLA evened the all-time series against Kentucky at 8-8.
The Bruins have won four of their past five contests against Kentucky and improved to 2-0 against the Wildcats, in games played at Madison Square Garden. Previously, UCLA had secured a 97-92 victory over Kentucky at the historic New York venue on Nov. 10, 2000.
UCLA returns to action against UC Davis on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Game time in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom is set for 2 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game against the Aggies will be televised by the Pac-12 Network. The radio broadcast will be available on AM 570.
