UCLA men’s basketball is back to winning, pulling out a narrow 65-62 victory over #14 Gonzaga Bulldogs in a west coast hoops showdown at the brand new Intuit Dome. The Bruins are now 11-2 after a much needed win following their frustrating loss to unranked North Carolina last weekend. UCLA has finally triumphed over the Zags after losing the last three matchups against the Bulldogs, the last being a disappointing loss in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Today’s game proved once again that the two teams make for an exciting and intense matchup.
UCLA got off a slow offensive start with Gonzaga putting the first points on the board, before Lazar Stefanovic finally put up three points for the Bruins. Key players Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack failed to put up any points while Tyler Bilodeau only made one out of seven field goal attempts in the first half. The first successful field goal for a starter came from junior guard Skyy Clark with 7:29 left in the first half. His three pointer put the Bruins up for the first time with a score of 13-11.
Photographed by Jan Kim Lim, UCLA Athletics
Photographed by Jan Kim Lim, UCLA Athletics
The Bruins eventually found their footing with a 11-0 scoring run, disrupted by a two point jumper by Gonzaga’s senior forward Graham Ike. The Bulldogs were then hit by an ejection of star guard Khalif Battle over his foul on UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. The ejection seemed to light a fire underneath the Zags, who crawled back from the 11 point deficit to end the first half, scoring nine unanswered points. Gonzaga also ended the first half with considerably more success in the paint, scoring 18 points to UCLA’s two. Instead, the Bruins found more success in turnovers, scoring 12 points off of 11 Gonzaga turnovers.
The excitement and intensity seen at the end of first half continued into the second, where the score was immediately tied up with a dunk by Ike. Key players and key free throws kept the game close until the very end. Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard put up an impressive stat line, with 16 points on seven of 12 field goals, four rebounds and eight assists, outscored only by Ike’s 24 points. Dailey Jr. was the top scorer for the Bruins, with 18 points on five of 10 field goals, but Clark proved to be the most crucial in the victory for the Bruins, with 11 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and most importantly, four of four free throws made.
Nembhard, who made a jumper for two points in the last 13.9 seconds, had the opportunity to tie the game for the Bulldogs by earning a free throw off of a foul on Mack. Nembhard missed his free throw despite having a high 86.7 free throw percentage. On the other hand, Clark, who has a 66.7 free throw percentage, bagged all four free throws in the last 13 seconds, helping the Bruins secure the win with a final score of 65-62.
The UCLA men’s basketball team looks to extend their winning record on the road next Saturday, where they are set to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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Featured Image Photographed by Jan Kim Lim, UCLA Athletics
