Arizona Proves To Be Too Much For UCLA 57-47

The Bruins dominated the start of each half but it wasn't enough to stop the Wildcats.

Both teams looked tight at the start of the game. It took almost two minutes before the first points were scored by Norman Powell. The Bruins then went onto a 7-0 lead before the Arizona bench took control and put up 32 while holding UCLA to 11 more, giving the Wildcats a 32-18 lead at the break.

The Bruins came out strong to start the second half as well with a 17-0 run that included two three-pointers by Kevon Looney and one from Bryce Alford which gave UCLA a 35-32 lead.

But, just like the first half, Arizona finished strong scoring 25 while limiting the Bruins to only 12 in the last 13:16.

The SPTRs were out in force in this game with numerous questionable calls going in both directions. In the end, though, it ended up hurting UCLA more. Looney, Parker and Thomas Welsh all fouled out, leaving the Bruins depleted and without two of the team's best players.

If there was one thing that sticks out as really killing UCLA's chances in this game, it has to be the lack of offensive rebounding. Kevon Looney had the one and only offensive rebound for UCLA while Arizona raked in 26 defensive rebounds on the Bruins' end. So, even though the Bruins had a slightly higher shooting percentage in the game, the lack of second chances really hurt the Bruins.

The lack of bench production continued to plague the Bruins as the bench was shut out. Meanwhile, the Wildcats' bench outscored UCLA's entire team 24-18 in the first half and backup guard Gabe York led the Wildcats with 13 points in the game.

Bryce Alford led all scorers with 22 while Norman Powell was held to only 11 points.

After being swept by both Arizona schools this week, it seems clear that the only way this team will possibly make the NCAA Tournament would be to run the table in the Conference Tourney, but the team's inability to win away from Pauley Pavilion makes those chances extremely slim.

Next up is Washington at home on Wednesday night at 8pm PT with the game being televised on ESPN2.

Go Bruins!