Defense Helps UCLA Men’s Basketball Avoid Upset vs. Washington State

Freshman Adem Bona got a go-ahead bucket on a goaltend with 19 seconds left to seal the win for Mick Cronin’s Bruins.

The Bruins had clawed their back back into it after a shaky first half, but the Cougars weren't going down without a fight on their own home floor in Pullman.

Right after the visiting blue and gold cut it to a three-point game, the Cougars hit a couple of 3-pointers. As it turned out, though, those would be the last field goals they hit all night, as the Bruins held them without a bucket for the final 7:23 to give themselves a chance to stage a comeback.

It took a goaltending call with less than 20 seconds left for No. 11 UCLA men's basketball (12-2, 3-0 Pac-12) to fend off Washington State (5-9, 0-3), winning 67-66 to avoid the upset on Friday. The Bruins were in position to win it in those final moments because they forced more than misses, jumping passes and poking balls free to give themselves more chances to score.

That final chance came out of a steal by point guard Tyger Campbell, who deflected a pass towards guard Will McClendon right when UCLA needed a stop. The redshirt freshman ran the floor and threw a lob to center Adem Bona, who came down with the ball and put it back up before it got blocked against the backboard over the cylinder.

Campbell and guard David Singleton hit a couple buckets in the last few minutes, but the Bruins did a lot of their damage from the free throw line. After hitting a jumper and a layup, guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. sank two free throws. He drilled two more in the final minute to finish the night 10-for-10 from the stripe.

Singleton and Campbell both went 4-for-4, and UCLA finished 21-for-22 as a team. Washington State shot 83.3% on free throws themselves, but only on 12 attempts.

It was an and-1 dunk by Bona in the opening minutes that put the Bruins up 5-0, but the Cougars flipped the script not long after. Washington State took the lead on a Mouhamed Gueye dunk just 3:10 into the contest, and they never gave the lead back until the decisive goaltend on the second-to-last possession.

The Bruins went down by as many as 12 points, although a 3-pointer by Campbell right before the buzzer helped them cut the lead to five at the half. A 7-0 run early the second – featuring some free throws by Jaquez and a 3-pointer from Singleton – tied it up, only for the Cougars to answer with a 14-6 stretch to go back ahead.

Washington State held eight and nine-point leads midway through the second half, and ESPN gave them a 92.4% chance to close it out.

That's when UCLA's defense turned on the clamps, and the only points they allowed in the last seven-plus minutes came on four Gueye freebies. Their veterans – Jaquez, Campbell and Singleton – made it a game again, but it was the fresh faces who closed things out in their second conference road game.

McClendon reeled in the loose ball and hit Bona for the go-ahead score. Needing to make a stop on the other end, Jaquez forced a bad pass and contested the corner 3 that would have won it, while guard Jaylen Clark tipped the rebound to Campbell as time expired.

Campbell launched the ball straight up in the air, knowing his team had successfully avoided the near-upset. It was the first time UCLA had bested Washington State in Pullman since coach Mick Cronin took over, snapping a 2-5 stretch at Beasley Coliseum dating back to 2013.

Jaquez lead the Bruins with 20 points, while Campbell finished with 16 and Singleton dropped 14. Clark and Bona combined for 15, with the latter shooting just 3-of-12 from the field.

McClendon's two points were the only ones UCLA got from its bench, compared to Washington State's 15. The Bruins won the points off turnovers battle 21-10, making up for their nine-rebound deficit on the boards.

The Cougars got 19 points out of forward DJ Rodman, plus 18 from Gueye.

UCLA will wrap up its road trip against Washington on Sunday, with that game set to tip off at 4 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.

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