Bruins Not Rattled By Loss to Illinois

UCLA put together an admirable second-half comeback attempt in its loss to Illinois, and the Bruins are holding their heads high going into Friday's matchup with Indiana.

Feb 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) drives to the basket as Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) defends during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

UCLA's seven-game win streak finally came to an end on Tuesday as the Bruins were bested by Illinois, 83-78.

Down 16 with just under 6 minutes to go in the first half, UCLA would eventually battle back to pull within 4 a little over a 1 minute into the second.

Yet again, the Bruins would face a 16-point deficit with just under 5 minutes remaining in the contest but were able to make one last late push to make it just a one-possession game in the final half-minute.

But that was as far as they would come, as Illinois ultimately came out on top, handing UCLA its first loss in almost a month.

While their seven-game win streak is no more, the Bruins are keeping their heads held high.

“There was no regression," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after the loss. "The kids stayed together, their attitude is great, they’re focused on Friday already. There was a chance for us to execute late in the game, and we did everything until Dylan [Andrews] let [Kylan] Boswell split the trap with 28 seconds left. We have to either foul or get that trap. We have to be more aggressive there.

"At 2:28, there was a timeout, and we were down 8 points. I told the guys that they had to score and maximize every possession to get a layup or an open shot. On the other end, you cannot foul late in the clock, you’ve got to make them take a shot and get the rebound. You can’t give up a layup. It was two straight minutes of great execution. There were a lot of positives; you don’t always play bad when you lose. There was a lot of good tonight, but we did get exposed defensively.”

There's only so much time you have to make a comeback, and time just happened to run out for UCLA.

Now, the attention shifts to Indiana, who the Bruins will face in another road game on Friday.

"That’s another tough place to play," said UCLA junior guard Skyy Clark. "We know what to expect, and we’re going to get in the gym these next two days and focus on what we need to do to get the win.”

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