Bruins Fall on the Road to Rutgers, Handed Fourth-Straight Loss

The UCLA Bruins' struggles continued as they dropped their fourth-straight game, all in Big Ten play. They fell to Rutgers in a close battle on Monday night, as their season has taken a drastic turn for the worse.

Jan 13, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) dribbles during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (11-6, 2-4 B1G) may not be who we thought they were at the beginning of this season. A 75-68 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-8, 2-4 B1G) on the road Monday night marks the Bruins' fourth-straight loss and has turned this into a season from Hell.

The Bruins had the advantage for the entirety of the first half, keeping the Scarlet Knights at arm's length by one to two possessions for a large majority of the first 20 minutes. The Bruins shot the ball just a tad bit better than Rutgers did which led to a three-point lead at half.

With the Bruins in desperate need of a win, they would crumble immediately coming out of halftime. The Scarlet Knights went on an 8-0 run in the first minute and a half of the second half and would never lose the lead after that.

Rutgers received 38 combined points from their two star freshman guards Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. They were the top two players that led the team in points per game as Bailey scored 20 and Harper gave 18 to snap their three-game losing streak.

One of the biggest reasons the Scarlet Knights were able to hold a solid lead in the second half and pull out the win was due to their free-throw shooting. Even though they were just 67.7% from the line, the Bruins committed 23 fouls that led to Rutgers making 21 of their 31 free throw attempts.

The Bruins continue to be absolutely dreadful shooting the basketball, something that has been a major issue for them all year. 42.4% from the field coupled with 30% from 3-point range, making just six of 19 attempts from downtown. They did perform well from the free throw line shooting 80%.

A pair of sophomore guards led the way for the Bruins with Eric Dailey Jr. and Sebastian Mack earning 16 points each. Senior guard Kobe Johnson had another solid game, pouring in 13 points with four rebounds and two steals. Not enough was done from the entire group to find a much-needed win.

Simply put, this team may not be as good as we once thought after taking down some of the top programs in the country. Its shooting issues have become a major identity of this team, and it failed to make any clutch shots to come back, tie or take the lead in the second half.

UCLA will return home for a two-game home stand, a meeting with the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-4) on Friday night and then on Tuesday evening against No. 24 Wisconsin (13-3). There does not seem to be much hope in sight for a team that has lost all mojo and confidence at the most ideal point of the season.

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