Bruins' Andrews Breaks Down Game-Winning Bank Shot

The No. 24 UCLA Bruins pulled off their biggest win of the season, upsetting No. 12 Oregon on the road on Sunday afternoon. A last-second bank 3-pointer from junior guard Dylan Andrews led them to a 2-point win and spoke postgame on the highlight play.

Dec 8, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Dylan Andrews (2) reacts after making a 3 point shot to take the lead in the second half in the game against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The No. 24 UCLA Bruins won their first ranked game of the season on the road, Sunday afternoon as they defeated the No. 12 Oregon Ducks on a last-second 3-point bank shot from junior guard Dylan Andrews. He gave his thoughts following the win as to what he saw in that moment.

Trailing by 1 with 10 seconds remaining, Andrews had the ball at the top of the key. On a broken play, Andrews initially slipped and maintained his dribble, then moved towards the left wing and took a step back three overtop the Ducks' 7-0 senior center Nate Bittle. The ball banked in with 0.4 seconds left.

"So the last shot wasn't even for me, I just wanted to get the ball in, and the play was actually for Lazar [Stefanovic] or Tyler Bilodeau," Andrews said postgame. "We thought that they were going to place me, and then so I was going to be able to get a pick and pop or another screen, was going to set one for T-Bil [Bilodeau], Laz [Lazar] comes off, 3 ball. But they ended up switching everything and so I had the 5-man [Bittle] on me, and we didn't have that much time, so just the main thing was to get a shot off."

Broken plays are extremely common in the final moments of a game, even coming out of a timeout with a drawn-up play. Even though the shot was not planned for Andrews to take, his confidence and skill level allowed him to step up in a big moment and sink the game-winner.

Once Andrews realized the play was busted, he had to find a way to create the final shot while being guarded by the tallest guy in the building with mere seconds remaining in a 1-point game.

"The main thing, I wanted to get to his hip and try to get to the basket, maybe get a foul or anything like that," Andrews said. "But he was playing so far back that when I took the dribble, he went so far back it was an easy shot for me to get off and I see the ball trailing. During those times, you see the ball in slow motion, and you see it going towards the backboard and so, the rest is history."

It takes a special player to be able to come up big for his team against one of the nation's best teams, and Andrews delivered with one of the most clutch shots of his career. It was only fitting as Andrews is one of the longest-tenured players on the team, and the veteran made a play in the biggest moment.

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