BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The whole team chipped in for UCLA (19-7,10-5) as they held on for a 72-68 win over Indiana (15-11, 6-9) on Valentine’s Day Friday, Feb. 14.
The game was truly a collective effort for the Bruins. No player had more than 12 points scored and every single Bruin on the roster netted at least two points in their playing time. The Bruins' bench contributed 27 points in the win.
UCLA junior forward Tyler Bilodeau led the way for UCLA offensively, scoring 12 points while shooting 3-8 from the field. The Bruin backcourt combination of senior guard Kobe Johnson and junior guard Skyy Clark combined for 21 points. UCLA began to break away around the halfway point of the first half, outscoring the Hoosiers 15-4 over three minutes to take a 12 point lead 27-15 with 7:11 remaining in the first.
The Bruins led by as much as 13 in the first, and took that lead into halftime leading 35-25.
Back-to-back threes in the second half by Indiana senior forward Luke Goode put the Hoosiers within striking distance, behind just 40-36 with just over 17 minutes left in the game. Goode had an extremely hot hand for the Hoosiers in the second half, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes.
The Bruins were no slackers themselves in the second half, shooting 48% from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc. Johnson and Clark, who both had quiet first halves, combined for 15 in the second half and provided the push the Bruins needed to keep the hot Hoosiers at bay.
UCLA brought their lead back to 10 several times in the second half, but Indiana was never far behind even when UCLA did string some runs together. The Bruins failed to make a shot from the field in the last two-and-a-half minutes of the game, allowing Indiana to march their way up the scoreboard.
Indiana junior forward Malik Reneau made a layup and drew a foul with under a minute left, then sank his free throw to cut the UCLA lead down to a precarious 70-68.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin called a timeout right after the Reneau free throw to regroup with his team on how to preserve their lead and win.
Indiana had a chance in the final seconds, recovering UCLA turnovers three times, but then missed three straight shots over an eight-second span.
UCLA junior guard Dylan Andrews drew a foul with four seconds left on the clock to shut down the Hoosier threat. Andrews went to the line after being 1-3 FT previously in the game, and made both his shots to give the Bruins some much needed insurance in the final moments.
“I think he [Andrews] is a great kid and he really cares about his coach and he didn't want to see me go to the hospital,” Cronin quipped in a postgame press conference.
The Hoosiers threw up one more three-point attempt that missed, though it wouldn’t have been enough to even tie the game if it was good, and UCLA took home the win by a score of 72-68.
UCLA kicks off a brief home-stand with a game against Minnesota Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 pm at Pauley Pavilion.