UCLA fails to hold momentum, falls to Arizona in Pac-12 tournament title game

After all of the taunts from the Arizona followers, the repeated “U of A!” chants that crammed an area awash in crimson and white, UCLA needed the ultimate say.

The Bruins appeared like they could get it early within the second half of Saturday’s Pac-12 event championship. Their pictures have been falling and so they matched the Wildcats’ toughness whereas not letting a pronounced measurement drawback trouble them. When UCLA’s Johnny Juzang buried a three-pointer, extending his workforce’s result in 12 factors, what amounted to a house crowd for the Wildcats was silenced.

However the decibel stage rose, slowly at first, earlier than constructing to a crescendo with a flurry of Arizona backdoor layups and three-pointers. In the meantime, the Bruins went chilly and their major two massive males couldn’t do a lot to cease the avalanche of factors their workforce was giving up whereas caught on the bench in foul bother.

Arizona rode the momentum for an 84-76 victory, the top-seeded Wildcats pulling away from the second-seeded Bruins for his or her first Pac-12 event title since 2018 in a recreation that includes Closing 4 depth.

“Arizona was the harder workforce down the stretch,” coach Mick Cronin mentioned after his UCLA workforce had 11 pictures blocked, together with eight within the second half. “That’s the place the sport was determined; they have been extra bodily. Our protection left loads to be desired, to say the very least. Hopefully, we’ll watch movie and study loads about what it takes to be an important workforce.”

With No. 13 UCLA (25-7) attempting to rally within the ultimate minute, trailing by solely 4 factors, three performs illustrated the No. 2 Wildcats’ superiority. Juzang drove earlier than his shot met the outstretched arm of Christian Koloko, the Wildcats’ 7-foot-1 middle, and was swatted away. On UCLA’s following possession, Oumar Ballo, one other Arizona 7-footer, stepped out to the perimeter to dam a Jules Bernard three-pointer.

Lastly, Koloko blocked a three-pointer by Cody Riley within the ultimate seconds earlier than racing to the opposite finish of the courtroom to grab the rim in celebration because the clock ran out. Koloko collected 4 blocks and Ballo had six for the Wildcats (31-3), who gained each battle on the rim late within the recreation.

“The Artwork of Conflict,” Cronin mentioned, referencing the Chinese language army ebook by Solar Tzu. “There’s at all times a method to make use of the opposite workforce’s power in opposition to them, so that you’ve obtained to cross the ball. We have been minus-11 in assists to Arizona, so we didn’t get the job finished; I didn’t get that throughout to the workforce, in order that’s my fault that we obtained 11 pictures blocked.”

After averaging 24.8 factors over his earlier 4 video games, UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. was significantly much less efficient in opposition to Arizona’s size. At one level halfway by the second half, he made a pleasant submit transfer just for Ballo to rotate over to dam his shot. Jaquez had one other shot blocked by Koloko with 1½ minutes left, later blaming himself for not looking for open teammates.

“I didn’t cross it out as I ought to have,” mentioned Jaquez, who completed with 18 factors whereas making six of 17 pictures. “Only a couple instances I went up, obtained blocked, ought to’ve handed it out.”

Bernard continued his latest scoring surge with 19 factors, Juzang added 16 and Tyger Campbell had 14 for the Bruins, who shot solely 37.1% after halftime and made simply 5 of twenty-two three-pointers (22.7%) for the sport.

Bennedict Mathurin completed with 27 factors whereas changing into the event’s most excellent participant for Arizona, which is assured of a No. 1 seed within the NCAA event. UCLA was unable to raise its place after most bracket analysts had projected the Bruins as a No. 4 seed earlier than the sport.

They appeared like they could be on the verge of boosting their inventory early within the second half.

UCLA’s Johnny Juzang (3) falls to the ground whereas scrambling for a ball with Arizona’s Dalen Terry (4) in the course of the first half.

(John Locher / Related Press)

After Bernard absorbed an elbow to the face from Koloko and was awarded two free throws, the Bruins appeared able to ship a knockout blow. Their lead reached 53-41 when Juzang buried a nook three-pointer.

However Arizona wasn’t about to go quietly, the Wildcats making two three-pointers whereas rolling off eight straight factors to spark a 15-2 run. UCLA discovered itself turning to seldom-used ahead Kenneth Nwuba after Myles Johnson picked up his fourth foul with 13:05 left, becoming a member of Riley on the bench with the identical predicament.

The Wildcats commenced one other surge, scoring the following seven factors to go forward 56-55 on Koloko’s three-point play after he was fouled on a layup and made the ensuing free throw.

“They obtained simple buckets on the rim,” Bernard mentioned, “and once you’re attempting to make a run, it’s demoralizing.”

In a superb signal for the Bruins, Juzang recaptured his taking pictures kind after some latest struggles in his return from a sprained ankle. The junior guard made seven of 15 pictures, together with two of 4 three-pointers, ending the primary half with a spotlight play.

Juzang took an inbounds cross with two seconds left and rose for a three-pointer that pushed the Bruins right into a 40-35 lead. He snarled and shimmied earlier than celebrating together with his teammates on their approach to the locker room.

UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, left, and Cody Riley, proper, attempt to include Arizona’s Christian Koloko in the course of the first half.

(John Locher / Related Press)

The cheering would quickly belong completely to the Wildcats, the Bruins left to replicate on what they want for higher ends in the weeks forward.

“I instructed our guys within the locker room, the one method we’re gonna study from that is if we are able to look within the mirror and admit what occurred,” Cronin mentioned. “And that run, no matter it was, we gotta admit.

“Final yr, we have been the harder workforce in March for lots of video games and that’s why we went the place we went. If we study that lesson, then in the present day can be value it.”