UCLA can’t protect 19-point lead as upset bid fades in loss to Arizona
TUCSON — Farewell. Sayonara. See ya.
Looking beaten for 30 minutes, Arizona threw a massive counterpunch against hated nemesis UCLA in their final game as Pac-12 rivals at the McKale Center on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing by 19 points in the first half and 15 early in the second, the Wildcats mucked things up for the Bruins with physical play as part of what UCLA coach Mick Cronin called “an unofficiated street fight” while also benefiting from a repeated ability to get to the free-throw line.
The result was No. 12 Arizona rallying furiously for a 77-71 victory that halted the Bruins’ two-game winning streak while also displaying how much they have improved since their 46-point road beatdown against Utah 1½ weeks ago.
Not that coming close made the Bruins feel any better after losing a huge lead.
“It’s hard,” UCLA guard Lazar Stefanovic said after scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half. “We had them.”
Mick Cronin insists despite all the challenges and all his negative language about his players, he wants to be the UCLA basketball coach.
Arizona closed the game on a 37-18 run thanks in large part to taking 23 free throws in the second half compared to UCLA’s 10.
“It’s hard to win a game,” Cronin said, “when the other team shoots 23 free throws in the second half.”
UCLA (8-11 overall, 3-5 Pac-12) also crumbled amid a series of empty possessions after holding a 53-40 lead with 10:58 to go. After building their cushion with a free-flowing offense relying on exceptional ball movement, the Bruins’ approach devolved into a series of Sebastian Mack drives.
There was almost no other choice given the way the Wildcats were playing.
“It was really smart on their part because we were winning a clean game, so they just went and made it a hold-and-grabfest and we couldn’t run any offense,” Cronin said. “All we had was Sebastian at that point to drive hard because nobody else could drive the ball for us.”
UCLA center Adem Bona spent much of the second half in foul trouble before fouling out with 1:51 left and forward Brandon Williams was limited to six minutes because he was sick.
Every Bruin felt queasy given what happened over the final minutes.
UCLA missed four three-pointers on one late possession and backup center Kenneth Nwuba missed a put-back dunk that could have extended his team’s lead to three points with 4:18 left.
Cronin contributed to his team’s demise by complaining about a non-foul call on a Stefanovic jumper that was blocked, leading to a technical foul. Arizona’s Pelle Larsson (22 points) made both free throws he was awarded as well as two more for getting fouled on a drive to the basket, pulling the Wildcats into a 60-60 tie.
Caleb Love, the transfer from North Carolina and old UCLA foil who had scorched the Bruins in the Sweet 16 two years ago, made a driving layup with 4:14 left to give Arizona (14-4, 5-2) a 66-65 advantage that was its first lead since the game’s opening minutes.
This was unlikely to be the teams’ last meeting here. Both coaches have said they would like to preserve the rivalry even with UCLA headed to the Big Ten and Arizona bound for the Big 12 starting next season. The biggest holdups will be figuring out their new schedules and not overloading themselves with too many difficult nonconference games.
But this is a matchup worth preserving considering the rivals’ hatred for each other and classic games over the years.
The Arizona students unfurled their usual vitriol toward the Bruins, booing them every time they took and left the court pregame. One student held up a sign poking fun at UCLA’s recent blowout loss to Utah, the message reading, “Imagine losing 44 to 90.”
For much of the first half, it looked as if the Wildcats might absorb that kind of shellacking.
Playing free and confident, UCLA unleashed its best 12 minutes of the season in building a 32-13 lead to open the game. The Bruins bottled up one of the nation’s top offenses and showed no hesitancy whenever they had the ball.
After Stefanovic came up with a steal and was fouled driving to the basket, his two free throws capped a 13-0 run by the Bruins that put them ahead by 19. There was audible unease in the sellout crowd and even a little amazement among the Bruins.
“I feel like anybody would be surprised, you know, they’re one of the best teams in the country,” Mack said, “but I mean it still doesn’t matter, still just gotta lock in as a team and go from there.”
UCLA’s athletic department posted a deficit of $36.6 million for the 2023 fiscal year, the fifth straight year the school has run a shortfall stretching into 10 figures.
Not content with his team’s nine-point halftime lead, Mack (21 points) came out aggressive in scoring the first six points of the second half. He made a free throw, banked in a running jumper and buried a three-pointer to give the Bruins a 43-28 advantage with 18:05 left.
Almost everything went the Wildcats’ way from there.
Stefanovic said afterward, the Bruins talked about their growth, as well as what it could lead to with a dozen games left in the regular season.
“We play much, much better every game,” Stefanovic said. “It’s a little disappointing, but we already had a little talk in the locker room. We got to stay together and keep fighting.”
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