UCLA's Eric Dailey Reflects on Thrilling Loss to Arizona

The No. 15 Bruins and No. 5 Wildcats gave basketball fans March Madness in Mid-November.

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) dribbles the ball against Pepperdine Waves guard Aaron Clark (3) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The No. 15 UCLA Bruins shook off some early season concerns and rose to the occasion against rival No. 5 Arizona in the Intuit Dome for the Hall of Fame Classic, but lost in thrilling fashion, 69-65.

Many were dubious on the Bruins because of their early-season struggles against middling teams like Eastern Washington and Pepperdine to start the year, but they initiated the intensity and rode with one of the nation's best all game.

UCLA center Xavier Booker was the most impactful player on the floor for early stretches of the game, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds, but senior forward Tyler Bilodeau was the source of intensity, posting 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Star point guard Donovan Dent struggled from the field again in this early season, scoring just 11 points on 5-of-16 from the field, but adding on eight assists and remaining a steady presence for UCLA.

Eric Dailey Jr. capped the night off with 13 points and five rebounds on 5-of-10 from the field and spoke to the media following the thrilling loss. Below is a full transcript of what he said.

Eric Dailey Jr. Postgame vs Arizona

Nov 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) heads down court after a three point basket during the first half against the against the West Georgia Wolves at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On his performance and setting a physical tone

“My effort and intensity can go even higher, honestly. I did some good things, but it didn’t get the job done tonight, so it really doesn't matter what I did well. All we can do is go back and look at the film, practice these next few days, and really learn from what we did tonight. We can learn from the mistakes as a team and get better. It’s a long season and it’s only game four for us, so we got a long way to go.”

On UCLA's last offensive possession

“Just like coach said, it was our execution. In big-time games you have to be able to execute and run your sets and be able to run whatever you want. Defensively, we have to execute as well. Those are areas and things we have to mentally tough to do hard things.”

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) shoots the ball against UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

On biggest takeaways from this game

“We definitely want to feel this and make sure we don’t feel like this again. Good thing it’s early in the season and we got a lot of games left to play. We got a lot of things to build on as a team, and just keep learning and moving by keeping it one day at a time. We have to keep fighting, every day.”

On what he told Donovan Dent when struggling to score

“I just told him to lead and it doesn’t have to be offensively, all the time. He can lead by just talking and defensively. Some nights, you aren’t going to be on on offense, and that’s okay as long as your effort and mind stay focused on defense – then you will be able to get out of that slump.”

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