UCLA Men's Basketball Storms Past Rival Arizona on Senior Night

Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell combined for 43 points in what was likely their final game at Pauley Pavilion.

On a night that started with a ceremony that honored their storied careers in Westwood, the Bruins' seniors closed the year out on a high note.

No. 4 UCLA men's basketball (27-4, 18-2 Pac-12) overcame a slow start to handily defeat No. 8 Arizona (25-6, 14-6) by a score of 82-73 on Saturday night, snapping their three-game losing streak against the Wildcats. The victory additionally helped the Bruins clinch their best winning percentage in conference play in 45 years, all while extending their winning streak to 10 games and their home winning streak to 25 games.

UCLA got to that point thanks to guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., point guard Tyger Campbell and guard David Singleton, who have each been with coach Mick Cronin since the beginning. The three – plus walk-on guard Russell Stong and big man Kenny Nwuba – all drew the start, and they each played a part in putting a bow on the Bruins' first undefeated season at home since 2006-2007.

Jaquez led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Campbell wasn't far behind with 21 points and four assists. Singleton was bombing away 3-pointers from start to finish, ending the night with 17 points – his third-most in a game all season.

The collective performance from that trio got UCLA over the hump, giving them a four-game lead on the second place team in the conference with the regular season at its endpoint. Arizona was competing throughout, though, and they held all the momentum early on.

The Bruins started ice cold from the field, opening the game 1-for-13 from the field and going down 13-2 in the process. UCLA's defense was letting Arizona take open shots from both beyond the arc and down low, and they started 7-for-14 from the field as a result.

Once that six-minute nightmare came to an end with a Jaquez bucket, the Bruins started to slowly chip away at the Wildcats' lead. Singleton nailed a corner 3-pointer, then Campbell got three the old fashioned way with an and-1.

Just as Arizona built its lead back out to nine, UCLA countered with a 15-0 run. Clark finally got a 3 of his own to fall, while Singleton stayed hot from downtown to put the Bruins up by six.

UCLA took a 40-37 lead into the break, thanks to 12 points from four Singleton 3-balls, 11 points from Campbell and nine from Clark. Arizona, meanwhile, had 16 points from forward Azuolas Tubelis, who shot 8-for-8 from the line in the first half.

The Bruins came out of the gates firing on all cylinders in the second half, hitting their first three shots of the period. Clark's steal from behind led to an open layup that brought the lead to 11, and it made UCLA 13-for-17 from the field since their 5-for-22 start.

Clark came down hurt after that layup though – with the team's radio broadcast claiming he popped his Achilles tendon – and he spent the rest of the game in street clothes and a boot with crutches. Arizona battled back with an and-1 from guard Pelle Larsson and a short jumper from center Oumar Ballo, further spoiling what once seemed to be a promising second half.

Without Clark, UCLA managed to cut the run short with a jumper from guard Amari Bailey, an and-1 from center Adem Bona and a run of key stops. After Singleton drilled his fifth 3-pointer of the contest to put UCLA back up by 11, Jaquez got the crowd on its feet with back-to-back and-1s.

Jaquez seemingly put an exclamation point on the win with a two-handed dunk that came out of a loose ball, only for Arizona to stage a quick 7-0 run and get it back to single-digits. The star senior was able to wrap things up with some late buckets however, converting on a pair of layups out of a steal and a press break.

When Jaquez, Campbell and Singleton finally checked out with 32 seconds left, they received a standing ovation worthy of their extended tenures in blue and gold.

Stong, meanwhile, got to check back in and play it out until the final buzzer, eventually joining forces with Jaquez and the rest of UCLA's roster in running over to swarm The Den.

It was a scene reminiscent of the Bruins' home finale in 2020, when they took part in a similar celebration with the student section after beating the Wildcats. Thanks to Jaquez, Campbell, Singleton, Stong and others, the program has come a long way since then, even if the environment in Pauley Pavilion was virtually the same. 

All that mattered to those fans was that UCLA won, and there could be more Ws on the horizon based on their ongoing hot streak.

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