Busting Brackets
Fansided

UCLA Basketball: A look at Bruins thrilling win over Utah Utes

By Chris Thedinga

Dec 11, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) and guard Tyger Campbell (10) celebrate at the end of the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA defeated Marquette 69-60. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) and guard Tyger Campbell (10) celebrate at the end of the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA defeated Marquette 69-60. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
UCLA Basketball
UCLA Basketball (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

UCLA Basketball got the win over Utah, but it was a closer than expected Pac-12 matchup.

UCLA Basketball found a way to hang on 72-70 in a back and forth affair with the Utah Runnin’ Utes. In a dramatic finish, the Bruins came up with a steal on Utah’s final possession to ice away the game.

UCLA made a season-high 10 three-pointers and shot 50% from behind the arc. The perimeter attack was very spread out, with six different players hitting three-pointers. Utah also shot well from deep, at 9/22.

Chris Smith led the way for the Bruins, going 7-9 from the floor with 16 points on just 22 minutes (foul trouble). Johnny Juzang, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jules Bernard were all also in double figures for UCLA. Tyger Campbell finished one point away from a double-double.

For Utah, Timmy Allen and Alfonso Plummer combined for 40 points. Plummer put up 14 of Utah’s first 16 points, jumping the Utes out to an early lead. Utah shot the ball effectively throughout the game but didn’t do as many of the little things right as UCLA.

The Bruins had 11 offensive rebounds compared to Utah’s six. They also had more steals, blocks, and assists, as well as fewer turnovers. It’s unlikely for a team to lose with an advantage in all of those categories, but Utah made it close.

After being down nine at the half, Utah had a few second-half spurts to narrow the gap. Mick Cronin harped bluntly on the Bruins defensive efforts in the second half in his postgame interview, which seems warranted. Utah made fourteen baskets in the second half, and eleven of them were layups. “Our biggest weakness is, if you’re on the ball, you gotta stay in front of the ball,” stated Cronin.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest storylines from New Years Eve’s game:

Home/UCLA Bruins