Big Shot Bryce did it again. UCLA junior guard Bryce Alford hit a game winning three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left as the Bruins escaped with a much-needed 87-84 victory over Arizona.
The UCLA Basketball team had led most of the game, but that nearly slipped away in the last five minutes of the game. That was when the Arizona Wildcats came storming back.
Led by Kadeem Allen, and assisted by some sloppy play by the Bruins, Arizona outscored UCLA 21-7 over the next four and a half minutes. The run was capped by Allen’s three-point play that tied the game at 83 with just under a minute left.
That set the stage for Bryce Alford, who sent the star-studded Pauley Pavilion crowd into a frenzy, with his game winning shot. As the crowd was going nuts, the Wildcats had a chance at a desperation three to tie, but Allonzo Trier had the ball knocked away by Aaron Holiday and the Bruins collected their first conference win of the season.
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Even former Bruin great Russell Westbrook was out of his seat on the last shot and made sure he went up to Alford after the game to give him some love.
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After struggling last weekend up in Washington, Alford just needed a little home cooking and he led the Bruins with 25 points on 9 for 18 shooting. UCLA was rolling on the offensive end as they shot 52% from the field and hit half of their 22 three-point attempts.
The Bruins did a nice job of moving and passing the basketball as they had 21 assists on their 33 baskets. Isaac Hamilton, Holiday, and Alford each had 6 assists for UCLA which led by double-digits most of the second half. Senior Tony Parker helped control the paint and scored 12 points while pulling down a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Bruins came out determined to get off to a good start and right from the opening tip they had much more energy than they did in Washington. They played excellent team defense and jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Alford didn’t just limit his dramatics to the 2nd half as he capped an excellent first half with a three-pointer just before the buzzer to give UCLA a 43-36 halftime lead.
The Bruins honored Westbrook during a halftime ceremony and not only did he make it a homecoming for himself, but he brought a few of his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates with him. Among his teammates at the game was NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who had a front row view of Alford’s heroics.
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After getting this much needed victory, the Bruins will try to even their Pac-12 conference record on Saturday as they take on Arizona State at 2 pm at Pauley Pavilion.