Saturday, January 6
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
UCLA
6-9,1-3Pac-12
57
vs
66
California
5-10,1-3Pac-12
1
2
F
California
32
34
66
UCLA
23
34
57
Sebastian Mack
Photo by: Scott Chandler
Bruins Fall to California, 66-57, in Pauley Pavilion
January 06, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team fell to California, 66-57, in a Pac-12 contest at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Saturday night.
California (5-10, 1-3 Pac-12) led the game from start to finish, taking a 9-0 lead in the opening minutes and outlasting the Bruins (6-9, 1-3) the rest of the way.
UCLA's Sebastian Mack finished with a team-leading 20 points, while Adem Bona totaled 14 points, four steals and two blocks. California's Jaylon Tyson registered a team-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the visiting Golden Bears, who secured their first win in Pauley Pavilion since 2010.
"We don't have margin for error," UCLA assistant coach Rod Palmer said in the postgame press conference. "If we turn the ball over and get out-rebounded, that's going to limit our chances even more. We have to stop doing those things. Coach [Cronin] is trying to get the ball in people's hands to score – our guys who can score. A lot of times, they just think it's for them to score, when in actuality it's for them to score if they can, but find the open guy if they can't. And that's the disconnect right there."
The Bruins trailed at halftime, 32-23, and pulled to within seven points (49-42) at the 9:32 mark. The Golden Bears pushed their advantage back up to 13 points with 4:44 to play in regulation before Mack nailed a 3-point basket at the 3:54 mark, reducing Cal's advantage to 59-51.
Two minutes later, Bona registered his team-leading fourth steal of the game. He converted on a layup, cutting down the Golden Bears' cushion to six points (61-55) with 1:44 remaining.
California's Jaylen Cone knocked down a 3-pointer on the Golden Bears' next possession, pushing their lead back up to nine points at the 1:17 mark.
Mack finished the game having shot 7-for-13 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free throw line for UCLA. Dylan Andrews rounded out UCLA's list of double-figure scorers, totaling 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Earlier in Saturday's game, UCLA trailed by a 32-19 margin with 52 seconds left in the opening half, before Andrews scored two crucial baskets. The sophomore made a pull-up jumper to cut the lead to 11 with 32 seconds left. The Bruins got a stop on the defensive end on the next possession, and the ball fell to Andrews with six seconds remaining in the half. He brought the ball up the court and then drilled a deep two-pointer at the top of the arc. California led at halftime 32-23.
UCLA will return to action at Utah on Thursday, Jan. 11. The Bruins' game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City will be nationally televised on ESPN2, with the game time set for 6 p.m. PT (7 p.m. MT, in Salt Lake City).
Next week the Bruins will also host Washington on Sunday, Jan. 14. Game time in Pauley Pavilion next Sunday is 4 p.m. (PT).
Team Stats
Cal
UCLA
FG%
.397
.429
3FG%
.400
.200
FT%
.750
.684
RB
39
29
TO
13
12
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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