PHOENIX — There was some comforting familiarity Saturday afternoon in a rivalry renewed amid uncommon circumstances.
UCLA and Arizona engaged in one other basic.
In a sequence that appeared as weird because the fan proven consuming a beer out of a shoe on the video board, the Bruins stormed again from what regarded like sure defeat.
A flurry of Tyler Bilodeau baskets and two Skyy Clark free throws with 6.1 seconds left offered No. 24 UCLA with a surprising 57-54 victory contained in the Footprint Middle after the Bruins completed the sport on a 21-5 run and held the Wildcats with out a area objective over the ultimate 8:46.
Simply when it appeared as if the Wildcats had been on their technique to a runaway, main by 13 factors, the Bruins neatly stored placing the ball within the arms of Bilodeau, who scored 12 of his 17 factors within the second half.
Bilodeau’s baseline leap hook capped a 15-1 run and gave the Bruins a 55-52 benefit with 1:42 left earlier than Arizona’s Okay.J. Lewis made two free throws to shave the Wildcats’ deficit to some extent.
Arizona acquired the ball again, however the Bruins doubled teamed Trey Townsend within the nook and he misplaced the ball out of bounds for a turnover with 40 seconds left.
UCLA’s Dylan Andrews hoisted a three-pointer that was off the mark earlier than Clark chased down the rebound and was fouled. Lewis’ three-pointer that might have tied the rating wasn’t shut, and the Bruins (9-1) might rejoice an eighth consecutive victory that got here in probably the most unlikely trend.
It already felt like an alternate universe, UCLA enjoying Arizona on neither group’s dwelling courtroom as a part of completely different conferences, when one thing much more weird unfolded early within the second half.
The Bruins regarded like that they had forgotten find out how to play basketball.
Committing one foul after one other and repeatedly sending the Wildcats to the free-throw line whereas unable to generate any offense, the Bruins misplaced their mojo as Arizona (4-5) went on a 21-6 run that prompted Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd to flap his arms in celebration.
The sport was technically thought-about at a impartial website, although basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy’s designating it as “semi-home” for Arizona solely started to seize the essence of the scene.
Loud “U of A!” chants from a crowd awash in purple first broke out late within the first half with the Wildcats within the midst of a giant run. The amount stage would solely rise from there.
UCLA discovered itself in hassle solely 4 minutes into the second half when Eric Dailey Jr., perhaps the group’s greatest all-around participant, picked up his fourth foul and headed to the bench. It solely acquired worse for the Bruins once they dedicated their seventh foul with 14:04 left, sending Arizona to the free-throw line on each foul for the remainder of the sport.
