No. 11 Arizona Ends No. 5 UCLA’s 14-game Win Streak

Pelle Larsson (3) of the Arizona Wildcats attempts a shot over Adem Bona (3) of the UCLA Bruins during the first half of the NCAA game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 21, 2023. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

TUCSON, Ariz.—Oumar Ballo scored 16 points, Azuolas Tubelis had a double-double and No. 11 Arizona withstood a late rally to end No. 5 UCLA’s 14-game winning streak with a 58–52 victory on Saturday, Jan. 21.

The Wildcats (17–3, 5–3 Pac-12) appeared to be cruising to their biggest win of the season, taking a 56–44 lead on Ballo’s alley-oop dunk with 2:07 left.

Oumar Ballo (11) of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates during the final moments of the second half of the NCAA game against the UCLA Bruins at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 21, 2023. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Bruins (17–3, 8–1) fought back, creating four straight turnovers to pull within 56–52. UCLA then blocked consecutive shots—one after a review waved off goaltending—but couldn’t convert on two shots of its own.

Arizona’s Pelle Larsson hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds to close it out. Tubelis triggered an 11–3 run to give Arizona a 10-point early in the second half, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

UCLA matched its longest winning streak since 2007–08 on Thursday by pulling away late to beat Arizona State 74–62. The Bruins had a lot more trouble with Arizona, particularly at the offensive end.

UCLA shot 31% and went 4 of 20 from 3-point range to lose as a top-5 team at McKale Center for the second straight season. Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 with 11 rebounds.

UCLA guard Tyger Campbell drives between Arizona guards Courtney Ramey (0) and Kerr Kriisa during an NCAA college basketball game, in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 21, 2023. Rick Scuteri/AP Photo

Arizona beat then-No. 3 UCLA last season in a charged atmosphere that included an assault citation for UCLA forward Mac Etienne after he appeared to spit in the direction of Arizona fans while leaving the court.

On Saturday, the Bruins and Wildcats went toe to toe in the paint and perimeter, bodies bouncing off the floor in a physical, defensive afternoon. The Bruins banged on Ballo and Tubelis in the post on every touch, creating numerous close-range misses—and plenty of fouls.

UCLA backup big man Kenneth Nwuba had four fouls in the first half and Ballo made 8 of 10 free throws to score 12 first-half points.

Arizona hit 7 of 23 shots and was the better-shooting team, taking a 26–23 halftime lead.

Big Picture

UCLA: Pushed the Wildcats around early and created havoc with their defensive pressure late. In between, the Bruins didn’t hit enough shots to leave the desert with a win.

Arizona: Weathered UCLA’s bumping and banging in the first half, then withstood a furious rally to earn the type of win that should move it back into the top 10.

Up Next

UCLA: At rival USC on Thursday.

Arizona: Plays at Washington State on Thursday.

By John Marshall