No. 22 Bruins Prevail In Statement Win Over No. 14 Gonzaga

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins found a way to grind through a thrilling matchup with the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs to pull off a nail-biting victory at the Intuit Dome. The Bruins bounce back from their upset loss last week and finish non-conference play on a high note.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) is fouled by Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Battle was charged with a flagrant foul on the play. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins (11-2) may have just earned their biggest win of the season after knocking off the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-4) by a score of 65-62. The Bruins end non-conference play with a statement victory that proves they can compete with anybody in the nation.

UCLA came into the contest losers of the past four meetings with the Bulldogs, including two March Madness matchups. Head coach Mick Cronin was not about to make that five straight as his team found a way to claw their way through another gritty game.

The Bruins took a two-point lead into halftime and went punch for punch in the second half with the Bulldogs with several lead changes, including a late comeback from UCLA to earn their 11th victory of the year and second against a ranked opponent.

It was not a good start offensively for the Bruins as they were 2-16 from the field to start the game. They shot just 36.4% from the field for the game, but hitting 12 of their 24 3-point attempts was a game-changing difference in the game.

UCLA had four scorers in double figures as sophomore guard Eric Dailey Jr. led the team with 18 points, going 4-5 from downtown and adding six rebounds and four steals. Senior guard Kobe Johnson had an excellent performance with 12 points on four made 3s.

Junior guard Skyy Clark was pivotal down the stretch, hitting four key free throws in crunch time. He finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, one of his best games in his first season as a Bruin. Senior guard Lazar Stefanovic also chipped in with 10 points.

Despite more free throw shooting woes, going 13-18 from the line for 72.2%, the Bruins made them when it counted most. Clark went to the line on back-to-back possessions for one-and-one free throws and nailed all four of them. That was a big difference to the Bruins victory.

Non-conference play is now over for UCLA, and Cronin's group is taking a very strong record and higher expected ranking into their next Big Ten battle with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-2). This win over the Bulldogs proves that the Bruins can compete with anyone in the country on any given day.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.