UCLA narrowly escaped Washington after large lead crumbled

UCLA fans a sigh of relief can be had. But it is not one that is easy. UCLA held a 76-60 lead with 4:27 left on Wednesday night. Instead of coasting to victory against Washington. They let them go on a 20-6 run that lasted into the waning moments of the game. All the way up to the point where UCLA missed a free throw, which is a common theme this season. Then watched Washington with a last second chance to win it down 82-80. Moving to 6-2 on the season narrowly covering as a 1.5-point favorite.

UCLA started the game out very slow, letting Washington jump out to 8-0 and 18-7 leads. Before turning it on with 13 minutes left in the first half. Soaring all the way up until that 4:27 mark left in the game. The Bruins continue to clean up facets of their game they are struggling. But the free throws almost cost them another game as they went 17-24 on the night. Marking the fifth straight game they have shot 75% or less from the line.

Another area that UCLA struggled on was the rebound battle. They have been much better over the past few weeks but lost in that category 33-21 last night. But they held pretty even in the paint with 36 compared to Washington’s 40. Those numbers will decrease as they up the rebounds. But one area that UCLA dominated on, and it was huge was turnovers. They played smart basketball and only turned the ball over seven times and forced 15 Washington turnovers. Turning that into 20 points in a +14 margin in the battle.

UCLA sitting at 6-2 on the season, will now head back home to play Oregon on Saturday. That is a game where the Bruins should be favored again. Giving them a great opportunity to start their Big Ten slate at 2-0. They will need to put an emphasis on the free throw woes, as it needs to be fixed. It is an ongoing issue and cannot cost them valuable games. But a 1-0 start in Big Ten is always a positive.