UCLA
6-10,1-4Pac-12
Utah
12-4,3-2Pac-12
Men's Basketball Loses at Utah, 90-44
January 11, 2024 | Men's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – The UCLA men's basketball team lost at Utah, 90-44, in a Pac-12 contest at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Thursday evening.
Utah (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) outscored the Bruins by a 57-21 margin in the second half after having led 33-23 at the intermission. Five players for the Runnin' Utes scored in double figures, led by Cole Bajema (14 points) and Keba Keita (14 points).
Utah made 13 three-pointers and shot 50 percent overall from the field (33-for-66), as UCLA dropped its fourth consecutive game.
UCLA (6-10, 1-4 Pac-12) trailed by a 33-27 margin with 18:12 to play before Utah used a 25-2 scoring run over the game's next seven minutes to secure a 58-29 cushion.
Dylan Andrews led the Bruins with nine points, connecting on 4 of 10 shots from the field. Lazar Stefanovic and Sebastian Mack each finished with eight points.
The Bruins trailed Utah, 33-23, at halftime. Utah led by as many as 12 points in the first half, claiming a 31-19 cushion with just under two minutes to play before the intermission.
UCLA never led in the opening half, as Utah scored the game's first five points. The Runnin' Utes led UCLA by a 19-16 margin with 6:05 to play before halftime and closed the opening half on a 14-7 scoring run.
The Bruins absorbed their first loss at Utah since March of 2019, snapping a four-game winning streak in games played against Utah at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Bruins had won their past seven games against Utah, including both regular-season matchups last season.
Thursday night's 46-point loss marked the largest margin of victory by a Bruins' opponent since dropping a 109-61 decision at Stanford (48 points) on Jan. 9, 1997. UCLA had not lost by 40 or more points since the 1997-98 season, when North Carolina registered a 109-68 win over the Bruins in the season opener at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska (Nov. 27, 1997).
UCLA will return to action against Washington on Sunday, Jan. 14, in a Pac-12 contest in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Game time is 4 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game against the Huskies will be televised by the Pac-12 Network, with Roxy Bernstein and Don MacLean calling the action.
