UCLA Men’s Basketball Falls to Baylor in Another Close Finish
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The Bruins arrived in Las Vegas with a perfect record, and they are leaving with a pair of tight losses.
No. 8 UCLA men’s basketball (3-2) lost to No. 5 Baylor (4-1) in an 80-75 thriller to close out the Continental Tire Main Event on Sunday. The Bruins finished the four-team tournament in dead last as a result of the losing effort, despite competing in both of their games.
And as was the case in Friday’s loss to Illinois, UCLA simply couldn’t stop Baylor from making the clutch baskets down the stretch that ultimately sank them.
Unlike in the loss to the Illini, however, guard Jaylen Clark was once again the star for the Bruins.
Clark scored 11 of UCLA’s first 18 points, digging his team out of the nine-point deficit they faced seven minutes into the game. He ended the first half with 17 points, and his slam dunk with under a minute to go before the break gave his team a key lead.
Baylor wiped it out with a 3-pointer that made it 37-35 heading into the half, but UCLA was still very much in it.
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and center Adem Bona hit layups in the opening minute of the second frame that put the Bruins back ahead, and neither side led by more than four points for the next 10 minutes. It was a pure back-and-forth contest, with UCLA picking up contributions from Jaquez, points guard Tyger Campbell and the freshman backcourt duo of Amari Bailey and Dylan Andrews.
Baylor created some real separation with an 11-0 run, though, and while UCLA got back to hitting shots, they were unable to make enough stops to retake the lead before the final buzzer. The Bruins sank five of their final eight shots from the field – including their last three – but the Bears hit 3-of-4 in the final minutes and converted on their trips to the free throw line to close things out.
UCLA actually shot 47.5% from the field compared to Baylor's 44.6% mark and finished with three fewer turnovers, but the Bears hit seven more free throws and six more 3-pointers to make up for those deficiencies.
Guard LJ Cryer hit two of those triples in the final minutes to try and put the Bruins to bed, also sinking both of his free throws with eight seconds to go. Guard Adam Flagler, after hitting four 3s earlier in the game, iced things from inside the arc down the stretch.
Flagler went 1-on-1 with Jaquez with less than 30 seconds on the clock and Baylor leading by three, and he took one step inside the 3-point line before rising up and sinking the dagger. Campbell hit some free throws and a late layup to try and bring UCLA back from the dead, but Flagler hit his free throws with two seconds left to officially put them away.
Clark led the Bruins with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but none of his teammates joined him with 16 or more. Jaquez and Campbell both broke double figures, but did so on sub-50% shooting from the field and zero 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, Cryer and Flagler combined for 50 points on eight triples, spearheading an offensive attack that UCLA was unable to truly contain on Sunday night.
The Bruins are now 0-2 against ranked teams, having already fallen to Illinois in Las Vegas to open the weekend.
UCLA will return to Pauley Pavilion for a matchup with Pepperdine on Wednesday night. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
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