Bruins Shocked by Minnesota in Brutal Upset Loss

The UCLA Bruins fizzled away a 17-point lead, suffering a massive upset loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. It was a historical game for Coach Mick Cronin and one that the Bruins absolutely needed in conference play.

Feb 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) drives between UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) and center Aday Mara (15) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (19-8, 10-6) suffered arguably their worst loss of the season as they fell to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-12, 6-9) at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. It was a game that the Bruins needed badly to stay in contention for a Top four spot in the Big Ten standings.

The game marked an opportunity for Bruins coach Mick Cronin to become the youngest active coach (53) to earn 500 career wins. He would be denied that chance as the Gophers climbed back from a 17-point first half deficit to shock the Bruins on their home floor.

Free-throw shooting down the stretch continues to be an issue for UCLA. In last week's win over Indiana, multiple free throws were missed to nearly allow a Hoosier comeback. This time, it finally bit them in the backside, missing multiple front ends of one-and-one's to allow the Gophers to win.

On a positive note, sophomore guard Sebastian Mack was strong off the bench as he has been all season. He posted a team-high 13 points on 4-8 shooting with with three assists. He did however, commit the game-losing offensive foul to give Minnesota the ball back, trailing by 1.

The Bruins finished 9-19 from the free-throw line (47.4%) and were 5-15 in the second half. It was one of their worst late-game managements of the season which a direct reason for the loss.

One man for Minnesota actually had half of his team's 64 points. Senior forward Dawson Garcia put together a season-high performance, scoring 32 points on 9-15 shooting and 11-12 from the free throw line. He added a game-high eight rebounds with two steals to help the Gophers to the win.

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau and senior guard Kobe Johnson had 12 points each with a team-high six rebounds. Johnson hit a pair of 3-pointers, showing his growth offensively while earning three rebounds and two steals.

The loss likely takes the Bruins out of contention for one of the top four spots in the Big Ten standings which would have allowed them a double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten tournament.

The Bruins will look to bounce back on Sunday when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (15-11, 7-8) at home. A win is absolutely needed if UCLA is to secure a stronger seed in the conference tournament as well as the NCAA Tournament in one month.

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