UCLA Men’s Basketball Loses Heartbreaker to Gonzaga in NCAA Tournament
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The Bruins lost in the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row, blowing a 13-point second-half lead in their rematch with the Bulldogs.
For a moment, it looked like Amari Bailey had won it for the Bruins.
Instead, Julian Strawther answered with a long ball from the edge of the center court logo to put the Bulldogs back on top.
Tyger Campbell had a chance to return the favor – in more ways than one – but his half court shot just rimmed out.
No. 2 seed UCLA men’s basketball (31-6, 18-2 Pac-12) and No. 3 seed Gonzaga (31-5, 14-2 WCC) were locked in another classic in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, sparking memories of both the 2006 Sweet 16 and 2021 Final Four. The Bruins led by 13 points in the second half, but they found themselves down eight with a minute left thanks to an 11-minute field goal drought.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. turned on the jets and got UCLA back into the game, converting on a pair of and-1s and a clutch layup. Bailey’s triple with 14 seconds to go vaulted them back ahead.
As was the case when Jalen Suggs hit his halfcourt game-winner two years ago, the Bruins had just left too much time on the clock. Strawther’s 3-pointer didn’t only end UCLA’s season, but likely the collegiate careers of Jaquez, Campbell and David Singleton as well.
The final buzzer sounded, and the Bruins had lost 79-76.
UCLA has now lost three straight NCAA tournament games to Gonzaga, and the Bruins are still winless against the Bulldogs since coach Mick Cronin took over the program.
The first bad sign for UCLA on Thursday was when freshman center Adem Bona showed up to the game in street clothes, unable to play due to a shoulder injury. That meant Cronin would have to rely on Kenneth Nwuba down low, and the veteran was immediately outplayed by Drew Timme.
The Second Team All-American scored 15 of the Bulldogs’ first 19 points, even hitting a rare straightaway 3-pointer to go along with his usual post hooks and layups.
Bailey came through with nine-straight points of his own, though, sending UCLA back ahead with a 3-pointers, layups and some steals. Campbell helped out by drawing fouls and snaking around the paint for floaters, and he dished out a couple of assists to put the Bruins up by eight and force a quick timeout by coach Mark Few.
Neither team was really missing shots, with both sides shooting 60% or better from the field, but the Bulldogs’ early turnovers gifted the blue and gold the extra possessions they needed to create a bit of breathing room.
UCLA went up by 10 when Jaquez drilled a fadeaway over Timme, although it didn’t take long for Gonzaga to get back into it.
The Bulldogs got going on the fast break once again, scoring 15 of their first 29 points out of the up-tempo offense. An 8-0 run – which didn’t even include any Timme points – had the Bruins on their heels.
Back-to-back steals led to back-to-back scores for UCLA, though, with Jaquez hitting another few layups and Campbell drilling a big transition triple. The Bruins staged a 13-2 run to snatch back control of the game, and they went into the half up 46-33.
Campbell, Bailey and Jaquez had all broken into double figures before the end of the first period. UCLA was winning the turnover battle 9-1, outscoring Gonzaga 15-2 off of those turnovers, and their two fouls were a season-low in a half.
The two teams combined to go 0-for-6 from the field coming out of the break – a cold streak that ended with a second-chance 3-pointer by Gonzaga. Nwuba tried to draw a charge the next time down the court, but he went down hard and checked out with a possible injury.
Jaquez wasn’t about to let the Bulldogs build up momentum, stealing the ensuing inbounds pass and finishing a dunk on the other end. The senior drilled a corner 3 on top of it, keeping the Bruins ahead by double digits.
Timme got going again not long after, finishing floaters and contested layups, as well as dishing out an assist to an and-1 by forward Anton Watson. The free throw was no good, but Gonzaga got the rebound and put it back up for another two points.
That sparked another 8-0 run for the Bulldogs, capped off by a spinning layup from Timme that sent the crowd into a craze. The Bruins got a much-needed 3-pointer from Singleton to end that run, but Timme kept pouring on the points by pushing past 30 on the night.
Gonzaga refused to fade away, recording 12 offensive rebounds on 15 missed shots to open the second half. The second-chance points started to pile up, and UCLA started to foul at a much faster rate.
With just under nine minutes to go, the Bulldogs used a 9-0 run to take their first lead since the opening five minutes of the game. Jaquez hit a pair of free throws to tie it back up at 61-61 with 6:30 to go, but those were the Bruins’ first points in over six minutes.
Gonzaga answered with two more field goals to retake the lead, all while UCLA continued to miss shot after shot on the other end. Yet another second-chance 3-pointer forced Cronin to take a timeout with 4:07 remaining and his team suddenly trailing by six.
It took until the 1:14 mark for the Bruins to get a shot to fall via a Jaquez and-1, which opened up a 14-3 run in their favor.
That surge – plus some Gonzaga missed free throws – was enough to give UCLA the lead back, but the timing just wasn’t right.
Jaquez led the Bruins with 29 points, seven points shy of Timme’s 36. Bailey and Campbell added 19 and 14, respectively, while Strawther notched 14.
UCLA will now pack its bags and head back to Westwood. Gonzaga, on the other hand, will stay in Las Vegas and play No. 4 seed UConn on Saturday with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
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