UCLA's 7-game winning streak was snapped Tuesday after the Bruins dropped a close one in Champaign, falling to Illinois by a final score of 83-78. UCLA never led in this game, and the final score does not reflect how the majority of the game went. Illinois led a significant portion of the game by double digits, and with five minutes remaining, Illinois led 76-60 and looked to be cruising towards a much-needed win.
But the Bruins went on a 16-2 run from that point on, and making it a 78-76 game with 28 seconds remaining. However, the Illini were able to close the game out, with Kylan Boswell's two free throws with four seconds remaining sealing the deal. It was a game of missed opportunities for the Bruins, who move to 18-7 overall with a 9-5 mark in Big Ten play.
Here are some key takeaways from the loss.
1. Slow start came back to haunt UCLA
The Bruins had a slow start to the game, scoring just 13 points in the first 15 minutes of play, and trailed 28-13. UCLA shot just 9/28 from the field in the first half, and despite shooting 63%Though the Bruins did cut the gap to just 6 points going into the break, their slow start ultimately proved to be a major difference maker in the end. UCLA shot just 9/28 from the field in the first half, and despite shooting 63% from the field in the second half, it wasn't enough to overcome the double-digit second-half deficit.
2. Tyler Bilodeau kept the Bruins in this game
Forward Tyler Bilodeau had a fantastic effort for UCLA, putting up 25 points while shooting 7/12 from beyond the arc. Bilodeau's led the Bruins in scoring this year, and he's been vital to UCLA's success this season. Kobe Johnson and Sebastian Mack joined Bilodeau in double figures on the scoring column. However, the rest of the team was rather quiet offensively. The Bruins will need to look for more balance on offense going forward should they want to make a deep run come March.
3. Rebounding was problematic
Illinois controlled the glass in this one, out rebounding UCLA 36-23. Illinois got twice as many second chance opportunities as UCLA, and outscored the Bruins 10-4 in second chance scoring. Kobe Johnson led the UCLA starting five in total rebounding with just four rebounds, while Sebastian Mack led all Bruin players with six boards. That being said, Illinois leads the country in total rebounds per game, with 45 while UCLA is outside the top 300 while averaging 32 rebounds per game.
With this in mind, Illinois controlling the boards shouldn't come as that much of a surprise, but it still remains a glaring issue for UCLA as a whole, and is something that the team will certainly be looking to clean up down the stretch.