UCLA Bruins Fall to the Arizona Wildcats 57-47, Finish 3-11 On The Road
On February 18th, the Bruins took on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe, but fell behind when they lost the game by only two points. Following that game, the question on everyone’s mind was if UCLA could come through to defeat the University of Arizona and their 35 home game-streak. Although the Bruins showed some promise in this game, they fell to the Wildcats, unable to bring any good news back home with them.
At the beginning of the game the Bruins saw a lead, however they were racking up fouls. Both Gyorgy Goloman and Kevon Looney fouled twice within the first ten minutes of the game; not a good sign for the Bruins. Goloman continued on to receive his third foul only a few minutes later. By the end of the first half, both Goloman and Tony Parker had managed to put themselves in foul trouble. It seemed like as the first half of the game progressed, the only player putting points on the board instead of fouls was Bryce Alford.
Feb 21, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) celebrates after scoring against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins quickly saw their lead lag behind as the Wildcats came back at them with double the intensity they began the game with. By the end of the first half, the Bruins were behind the Wildcats by 14 points; 12 of those points put on the board by Dusan Ristic alone.
UCLA Bruins
During the second half, the Bruins started off with a comeback.
The Wildcats failed to score any points during the first few minutes which allowed the Bruins to reclaim their lost time and take back the lead for a little while. With the offensive energy coming strong from Bryce Alford, Kevon Looney, and Norman Powell, the Bruins began to see a new streak up until the fouls started to rack up yet again.
Tony Parker, Thomas Welsh, and Kevon Looney all fouled out of the game; a very embarrassing point for Steve Alford. While it would of been nice to see if key players Bryce Alford, Norman Powell, and Isaac Hamilton could carry the Bruins to a victory, their efforts proved ineffective.
Bryce Alford was the leading scorer of the game with 22 points, however, the Wildcats continued to growl strong on their home court, taking yet another win in Tucson.
After this game, it won’t be any surprise to hear the disappointment of Bruin fans. The only thing we can hope for at this point is that the Bruins lives up to their usual home-court advantage for the last home games against the University of Washington, Washington State, and USC.