No crazy buzzer beaters. There are no last-minute miracles.
After experiencing a lot of heartache over the years, UCLA finally shook off the Gonzaga jinx on Saturday afternoon under coach Mick Cronin.
When Sebastian Mack fouled Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembard on a driving layup with 8.1 seconds left, and Nembard missed the game-tying free throw at the line, it looked like more misfortune was in store for the Bruins. It seemed to me.
But the basketball gods finally smiled on the Bruins.
Nembhard missed the free throw and UCLA’s Skye Clark chased the rebound but was fouled. He made both free throws to give the No. 22 Bruins a stunning 65-62 victory over the No. 14 Bulldogs in the West Coast Hoops showdown at Intuit Dome. .
Another wild finish for Gonzaga wasn’t in store after Nembhard went wide of the mark beyond half court seconds before the buzzer sounded.
UCLA guard Trent Perry and teammate Eric Daley Jr. sat on the court Saturday, both screaming after Perry drew a foul on a 3-point shot.
(Allen J. Scherben/Los Angeles Times)
It was Cronin’s first win at UCLA against Gonzaga. This was after dropping their first four games, including two heartbreaking games in the final shot at the NCAA Tournament.
A pro-Bruins crowd of 12,272 cheered on the Bruins after they overcame a 16-point loss to North Carolina last weekend.
“I knew I missed a huge opportunity in New York and I still feel that way,” said Clark, who had a good overall performance with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. So we just went into this game with a hungry spirit and didn’t want to lose. ”
Although he barely played in the second half of the Tar Heels game as he absorbed a shot to the face, masked UCLA forward Eric Daley Jr. scored 18 points, leading the Bruins to four players in double figures. led (11-2). .
Gonzaga (9-4) had several chances to grab the victory late in the game. Bulldogs guard Dusty Stromer hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left that could have given his team the lead, but the shot went wide and Clark grabbed the rebound before being fouled.
In the second half of the game against North Carolina, Clark missed the lead in two one-on-one situations and used his new shooting technique to make two free throws, giving the Bruins a 63-60 lead.
“He taught us to hit in front of the rim when you hit free throws, so I was trying to focus on that,” Clark said of Cronin. That’s what he said.
Even with a three-point lead, UCLA was a team that needed a little luck this time around given the broken strategy. Cronin said the plan was to foul Gonzaga if he took his time trying to make a 3-point shot, or to allow a goal if he tried to go for a quick basket.
They did neither as Mack hacked Nembhardt’s layup, sending the players in the game to the line for 86.7% of their free throws.
“Bass knows he made a mistake,” Cronin said. “It happens, so I can coach him on it and talk about it.”
The previous moments had been a redemption story for Mac. After missing two free throws, he was fouled on a floater and sank the free throw to give the Bruins a 61-60 lead with 33 seconds left.
Kobe Johnson contributed all four of UCLA’s second-half 3-pointers and was 12-of-24 from long range. That helped the Bruins win on a day when Gonzaga’s Graham Icke scored 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting and met little resistance.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs unleashed the Bruins’ typically harassing defense and stole every possession from UCLA. With point guard Dylan Andrews’ slump deepening, the Bruins often struggled to create good shots, at times committing shot clock violations.
Andrews finished with one assist and no points, but was moved to the bench late in the game to replace Mack, who made the play the team needed.
The halftime score (UCLA 27, Gonzaga 25) seemed like a typo considering the Bruins shot just 29% from the field and had nine turnovers. This advantage was primarily due to UCLA making 5-of-12 3-pointers (compared to Gonzaga’s 2-of-11), forcing the Bulldogs into 11 turnovers, and grabbing two more rebounds than their opponents. It was because of what he had earned.
The Bruins are headed for an even bigger cushion after Clark used a crossover move to free himself for a jumper, capping off his team’s 11-0 scoring run and giving UCLA a 24-13 lead. It looked like.
Tensions briefly escalated late in the first half when Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle was ejected for a flagrant two-foul for hitting Daley, but the contact forced Cronin to speak with officials about the play. Before speaking, he took off his suit jacket.
Losing their third leading scorer seemed to revitalize the Bulldogs for the remainder of the first half. They held UCLA scoreless for over four minutes and went on a 9-0 push, erasing most of the Bruins’ large lead.
UCLA played without center William Kyle III, who was sidelined due to an unspecified medical issue, according to a team spokesperson.
In the end, the Bruins were good enough to break through against a team that gave them so much trouble.
