college

Poor offense for No. 5 UCLA in their loss to No. 11 Arizona

The Bruins could never find consistent scoring as the Wildcats defeated them.

Finding the back of the net was unachievable for the No. 5 UCLA Bruins.

They needed a bucket with just over seven minutes left while trailing by double-digit points. Jaime Jaquez missed a three-pointer, then Jaylen Clark grabbed an offensive rebound before being crowded by the No. 11 Arizona Wildcats’ defense and forced to call a timeout. After the stoppage, Tyger Campbell missed on a pull-up jumper. 

It was just that kind of afternoon: nothing was falling for the Bruins, no matter how many chances they had. Even as they closed the game on an 8-2 scoring run, their efforts came short, as the Wildcats defeated them 58-52.

The Bruins dominated the offensive glass as they grabbed 18 offensive rebounds compared to the Wildcats’ eight. Based on that stat, it would seem they controlled the paint. However, the opposite was true for the Bruins. 

The Wildcats’ dynamic backcourt of Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo challenged them. Against the duo, the Bruins bigs fell into foul trouble early as Adam Bona and Kenneth Nwuba each picked up two fouls in the first 12 minutes.

As a result, they began slowly on offense, like in their last matchup against the Arizona State Sun Devils. Luckily, the Bruins held the Wildcats to 26 points as they trailed by three at halftime. However, as the Wildcats heated up offensively in the second half, they remained stagnant before losing by six points.

Tubelis and Ballo combined for 30 of Arizona’s 58 points.

The Wildcats’ length gave the Bruins trouble as they heavily contested many of their shots. The Bruins shot only 31.3% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc. They struggled to convert even at the free-throw line, making only six of their 11 attempts.

Four Bruins (Campbell, Jaquez, Clark, and Bona) made it into double-figure scoring, but none eclipsed 13 points. Also, Jaquez and Clark grabbed 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively. 

Will McClendon was the only other Bruins player who scored. He ended with four points.

Amari Bailey missed his seventh consecutive game due to a foot injury. Singleton, who has been starting in his place, was given the nod. However, he struggled to find his footing. 

Perhaps Bailey’s services could have been helpful, as Singleton did not score in 35 minutes of play.

The last time the Bruins lost a game was on Nov. 20 to the then-No. 5 Baylor Bears. Now, holding the No. 5 spot themselves, they lost again, snapping a 14-game winning streak. The loss moves the Bruins to 8-1 in PAC-12 Conference play, but they remain first in the conference’s standings. 

Next, they will play the USC Trojans on Thursday.

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