Saturday, December 14
Phoenix, Ariz.
12:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
9-1,2-0Big Ten
57
vs
54
Arizona
4-5,0-0Big 12
1
2
F
UCLA
30
27
57
Arizona
28
26
54
Skyy Clark
Photo by: Jan Kim Lim
No. 24 UCLA Completes Comeback Over Arizona, 57-54
December 14, 2024 | Men's Basketball
PHOENIX – Trailing by double-digits with less than 10 minutes to play, the No. 24-ranked UCLA men's basketball team closed the contest on a 19-5 run to escape with a 57-54 victory over Arizona on Saturday afternoon inside the Footprint Center, home to the NBA's Phoenix Suns.
The Bruins (9-1, 2-0) extend their winning streak to eight games behind an outstanding defensive effort that forced Arizona (4-5) into 22 turnovers, the most that the Wildcats have committed this season.
The nation's top scoring defense delivered in crunch time, holding Arizona without a field goal for the last 8:46 of the game.
"Obviously, it was not a thing of beauty for either one of us," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We persevered in the end, Skyy [Clark] made a great play on the offensive rebound and was smart enough to dribble it out. He was probably our smartest player. I was happy for him, obviously, he had a big game today. Not a thing of beauty, we kept fouling, but our defense was able to start creating some turnovers, that was the difference in the game. And Tyler Bilodeau, obviously, had a good one."
Tyler Bilodeau was the catalyst for UCLA's comeback, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second half to finish as the game's leading scorer. The transfer from Oregon State recorded his seventh double-digit scoring haul of the season. Bilodeau was 8-of-15 from the floor.
Skyy Clark eclipsed his season-high within the first 10 minutes of the contest and concluded his day with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Clark drained three triples, also a season-best for the junior.
Grabbing a team-high seven rebounds was Kobe Johnson, who also contributed seven points and four assists.
The Bruins trailed by four points with just under five minutes left in the contest before a pair of Dylan Andrews layups knotted the score at 52. Eric Dailey Jr. capitalized on an Arizona turnover by hitting a free throw to give UCLA its first lead since the 18:42 mark in the second half. With less than two minutes left, Bilodeau added a much-needed hookshot to make it a three-point advantage.
Two free throws allowed the hosts to claw within one, but the Bruins' defense continued to impress, coming up with two more stops to maintain their lead at the final buzzer.
On UCLA's final possession, Clark pulled down a crucial offensive rebound and sunk both foul shots to clinch the victory.
The Bruins' defensive pressure created 13 turnovers in the first half, which turned into 16 points on the other end of the floor.
UCLA's stifling defense forced three turnovers in the early minutes, sparking a 7-0 run to gain the lead. Clark led the charge offensively by reaching his season-high within the first nine minutes of the game, nailing three shots from 3-point range to fuel his 11-point first half.
However, UCLA struggled to take care of the basketball in the closing minutes of the half, committing four turnovers in less than three minutes of action. This allowed the Wildcats to capitalize with a 12-2 run, surging into the lead.
Despite the late Arizona run and its 16-8 advantage on the boards, Johnson's triple with 1:24 remaining in the half sent the Bruins into the locker room with a 30-28 lead.
The Wildcats started the second frame on a 17-6 run to build a nine-point advantage, UCLA was just 2-of-9 from the field during the run.
Arizona quickly extended its lead to double-digits following 1-for-7 stretch for the Bruins.
Bilodeau poured in three consecutive buckets to keep UCLA within striking distance, and Sebastian Mack finished off a reverse lay-in to cut the deficit to seven at the eight-minute mark. This sparked a 15-1 run after Dylan Andrews dropped two straight lay-ups.
Arizona's Jaden Bradley led the team with 12 points.
The Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom to host Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m, PT. The game will be available for viewing on Big Ten Network.
The Bruins (9-1, 2-0) extend their winning streak to eight games behind an outstanding defensive effort that forced Arizona (4-5) into 22 turnovers, the most that the Wildcats have committed this season.
The nation's top scoring defense delivered in crunch time, holding Arizona without a field goal for the last 8:46 of the game.
"Obviously, it was not a thing of beauty for either one of us," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We persevered in the end, Skyy [Clark] made a great play on the offensive rebound and was smart enough to dribble it out. He was probably our smartest player. I was happy for him, obviously, he had a big game today. Not a thing of beauty, we kept fouling, but our defense was able to start creating some turnovers, that was the difference in the game. And Tyler Bilodeau, obviously, had a good one."
Tyler Bilodeau was the catalyst for UCLA's comeback, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second half to finish as the game's leading scorer. The transfer from Oregon State recorded his seventh double-digit scoring haul of the season. Bilodeau was 8-of-15 from the floor.
Skyy Clark eclipsed his season-high within the first 10 minutes of the contest and concluded his day with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Clark drained three triples, also a season-best for the junior.
Grabbing a team-high seven rebounds was Kobe Johnson, who also contributed seven points and four assists.
The Bruins trailed by four points with just under five minutes left in the contest before a pair of Dylan Andrews layups knotted the score at 52. Eric Dailey Jr. capitalized on an Arizona turnover by hitting a free throw to give UCLA its first lead since the 18:42 mark in the second half. With less than two minutes left, Bilodeau added a much-needed hookshot to make it a three-point advantage.
Two free throws allowed the hosts to claw within one, but the Bruins' defense continued to impress, coming up with two more stops to maintain their lead at the final buzzer.
On UCLA's final possession, Clark pulled down a crucial offensive rebound and sunk both foul shots to clinch the victory.
The Bruins' defensive pressure created 13 turnovers in the first half, which turned into 16 points on the other end of the floor.
UCLA's stifling defense forced three turnovers in the early minutes, sparking a 7-0 run to gain the lead. Clark led the charge offensively by reaching his season-high within the first nine minutes of the game, nailing three shots from 3-point range to fuel his 11-point first half.
However, UCLA struggled to take care of the basketball in the closing minutes of the half, committing four turnovers in less than three minutes of action. This allowed the Wildcats to capitalize with a 12-2 run, surging into the lead.
Despite the late Arizona run and its 16-8 advantage on the boards, Johnson's triple with 1:24 remaining in the half sent the Bruins into the locker room with a 30-28 lead.
The Wildcats started the second frame on a 17-6 run to build a nine-point advantage, UCLA was just 2-of-9 from the field during the run.
Arizona quickly extended its lead to double-digits following 1-for-7 stretch for the Bruins.
Bilodeau poured in three consecutive buckets to keep UCLA within striking distance, and Sebastian Mack finished off a reverse lay-in to cut the deficit to seven at the eight-minute mark. This sparked a 15-1 run after Dylan Andrews dropped two straight lay-ups.
Arizona's Jaden Bradley led the team with 12 points.
The Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom to host Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m, PT. The game will be available for viewing on Big Ten Network.
Team Stats
UCLA
UA
FG%
.451
.452
3FG%
.190
.125
FT%
.438
.737
RB
24
34
TO
14
22
STL
10
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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