Bruins Hang On, Defeat Indiana for Crucial Road Win

The UCLA Bruins earned their 10th conference win of the year with a 2-point victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on the road, Friday night. The Bruins bounced back after Tuesday's loss and earned their first road win away from the West Coast.

Feb 14, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21) shoots the ball while UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) defends in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (19-7, 10-5) held on to defeat the Indiana Hoosiers (15-11, 6-9), 72-68, on the road Friday night. Despite a late crumble, Mick Cronin's squad was able to gut out a massive 72-68 victory in one of the more hostile places to play in all of college basketball.

The Bruins led by 7 with a minute to go and saw that lead wither down to just 2 points with mere seconds to play. Back-to-back missed front ends at the free throw line let the Hoosiers back in the ballgame, but a last-second missed 3-pointer from Indiana would give the Bruins the win.

Despite not having a real standout scorer, each of the 10 UCLA players that got in the contest were able to earn points. Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau led the team with 12 points while also posting five rebounds and three assists.

Junior guard Skyy Clark was impressive, scoring 11 points (4-5 from the field) with a perfect 3-3 from 3-point land. He added four rebounds and two assists to his stat sheet while senior guard Kobe Johnson netted 10 points and six rebounds. It was Johnson's third-straight game in double figures.

Sophomore center Aday Mara imposed his will on both ends of the floor in another expanded role. He had to match the size and physicality of Hoosiers redshirt senior center Oumar Ballo and did not disappoint. Mara poured in 8 points, adding five rebounds and a pair of massive blocks.

This was one of the grittier wins of the season for the Bruins not just because they suffered a late surge from the Hoosiers in a tough road atmosphere, but because they lost the turnover battle for the first time in a while.

UCLA turned it over 11 times while only forcing eight, which was way under its average of forced turnovers per game (16.2) going into the contest. Indiana took seven more shots, and the Bruins still found a way to gut out the victory. If the Hoosier's final 3-point shot went down, the story could be a whole lot different.

After a much-needed weekend break, the Bruins will return home for their next two contests to try and bolster that conference record against two struggling teams. They will start with the Minnesota Gophers (12-12, 4-9) on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion trying to win back-to-back games.

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