Last winter, the Bruins narrowly escaped the Wildcats in Phoenix, squeezing out a 57-54 victory. From the tip-off of Friday night’s battle, it was clear that fate was drawing up another nail-biter.
Back in 2024, the two juggernauts of college basketball agreed to a three-game rivalry series hosted at neutral sites through 2026. In the second duel of the series, No. 5 Arizona (4-0) defeated No. 15 UCLA (3-1) 69-65 at the Intuit Dome.
The wildcats boast a powerhouse freshman class, including five-star Koa Peatcq
and four-star Dwayne Aristode. However, in the Hall of Fame classic, seniors Anthony Dell’Orso and Jaden Bradley were the keys to victory.
Bradley logged 11 points in the final 5:17 of game time, while Dell’Orso hit a huge go-ahead three-pointer and iced the game with two late free throws.
UCLA got off to a huge start early, surging to a 15-5 lead less than seven minutes into the game. Arizona shot just 1-9 from the field during the stretch, but quickly responded with a 10-0 run, evening the score.
Despite shooting 7% better overall and 24% better from three in the opening period, the Bruins went into halftime down 28-25. The deficit arose from an inability to hold on to the ball and scoop up rebounds. 24 of the Wildcats’ 28 points came off turnovers and on second-chance opportunities.
The second half featured more offense, with the two teams combining to hit 13 of their first 19 shots. UCLA started to pull away midway through the period, taking a 57-49 lead with 7:18 remaining.
From there, however, it was all Arizona. Dell’Orso capped off an 11-2 run with a three-pointer to give Arizona the one-point lead, sending the stadium into a flurry. The Wildcats did not miss a shot for the rest of the contest, capitalizing on all four of their final possessions to edge out the pesky Bruins.
For Mick Cronin’s unit, it was a game you hate to drop. Despite sloppy play, via 16 turnovers and a -7 net rebounding total, the contest was within reach. Ultimately, late-game woes doomed them. “We didn’t execute down the stretch, they did,” Cronin stated. “That was the story of the game.”
The Bruins’ player of the game was Tyler Bilodeaucq
, who exploded in the 2nd half for 15 points on 5-7 FG and 3-4 3-pointers. Bilodeau, through four games, is once again the team’s leading scorer.
Donovan Dent’s has struggled to get into a rhythm this season, shooting just 39% so far. The former Mountain West scoring champ has battled injuries and inconsistency to start his senior campaign, but has been able to add to the offense with seven assists per game.
With just three points in its 41 minutes of play, UCLA is going to need more out of its bench if it wants to compete with top teams. Arizona, thanks to the efforts of Dell’Orso, outscored them 28-3 in the category.
It stings to squander an early shot at a Quad One win, but the Bruins proved themselves as a capable squad with their performance. They’ll face Sacramento State next on Nov. 18, with a chance to get back on track.
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Featured Image Photographed by Jan Kim Lim/UCLA Athletics
