UCLA
10-11,5-5Pac-12
Oregon State
11-10,3-7Pac-12
Men's Basketball Beats Oregon State, 71-63
February 01, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA men's basketball team beat Oregon State, 71-63, on Thursday evening in a Pac-12 contest inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Adem Bona and Dylan Andrews led the Bruins with 18 points each.
ย
The Bruins held a four-point lead with 3:01 to go before Will McClendon hit a clutch 3-pointer to extend UCLA's margin to seven points, at 66-59, with 2:43 remaining in the game. The Bruins' defense held strong on the next two possessions, forcing a turnover and a missed shot, before Bona drilled a mid-range jumper with 32 seconds to ice the game, putting UCLA up for good, 69-61.
ย
UCLA (10-11, 5-5 Pac-12) recorded its second victory over Oregon State of the season, as the Bruin had knocked off the Beavers in Corvallis, Ore., back on Dec. 28 by a 69-62 margin to open Pac-12 play.
ย
In addition, UCLA registered its fourth win in five games as the Bruins evened their Pac-12 record to 5-5.
ย
"You can't expect to win if you don't put forth winning effort, which means you have to put forth more effort than your opponent," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "Tonight, we weren't able to shut them out. Obviously, they shot at a good percentage. But thankfully, we dominated the backboard and we were plus-four in the turnover margin. That takes effort to turn people over. It takes effort to outrebound people, and back to how to win, you can't expect to win if you want to come out and be pretty and shoot jump shots."
ย
Bona finished 7 of 10 from the field and 4-for-6 from the line for 18 points, while Andrews made 6 of 12 shots and finished 2-for-3 from beyond the arc for 18 points. Lazar Stefanovic also finished in double figures for the Bruins with 15 points and a team-high three triples, while McClendon had eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
ย
Oregon State (11-10, 3-7 Pac-12) received a team-high 18 points and six rebounds from Tyler Bilodeau.
ย
After OSU closed the gap to one point, 55-54, with 6:02 remaining, Andrews connected on three straight possessions for the Bruins. The sophomore made a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer to give UCLA a 60-56 cushion before darting into the lane and lofting a mid-range jumper to put the Bruins back up six, 62-56, with 4:01 left on the game clock. ย
ย
The sides went back and forth to begin the second half before the Bruins' defense shut down the Beavers. UCLA stretched its lead to seven, 48-41, and kept the Beavers off the scoreboard for over five minutes, with OSU missing a basket on six straight shot attempts from the field during that stretch. ย
ย
UCLA closed the first half strongly, converting on nine of 12 baskets from the 13:14 mark to the 2:41 mark of the half, before taking a 33-31 lead into halftime.
ย
Thursday's contest inside Pauley Pavilion saw the lead change hands eight times in the opening half, as neither team was able to go on an extended run.
ย
Bona gave the Bruins a 15-14 lead with 9:34 to go in the half when he crashed through the lane, picked up the loose ball before dunking it, giving him 10 points through the first 10 minutes. The sophomore finished the half with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field.
ย
Andrews hit UCLA's first triple of the night on the next offensive possession, giving the Bruins lead an 18-16 advantage with 8:43 to play in the half.
ย
Bona had six early points down low for the Bruins, and Stefanovic added four more in the opening seven minutes. ย ย
ย
UCLA returns to action at home against Oregon (15-6, 7-3) on Saturday evening in Pauley Pavilion. Game time is 7 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' matchup against Oregon will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
ย
