Jaime Jaquez Jr. collected 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals to fuel No. 16 UCLA to a 63–53 victory over No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 17, in New York.
Jaquez made 9 of 19 shots from the floor to send the Bruins (10–2) to their seventh straight win.
Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark each scored 15 points for UCLA, which shot 45.8 percent from the floor and took advantage of 18 Kentucky turnovers. Clark also had four steals.
David Singleton contributed eight points off the bench and made both of UCLA’s 3-pointers. The Bruins shot 2 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Freshman Chris Livington scored a season-high 14 points off the bench and Sahvir Wheeler added 11 to pace Kentucky.
Oscar Tshiebwe recorded eight points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Wildcats (7–3), who saw their four-game winning streak come to a halt. Kentucky shot just 32.8 percent from the floor.
Antonio Reeves drained a 3-pointer and Wheeler sank a jumper to trim UCLA’s lead to 55–53 with 4:29 remaining in the second half before Campbell responded with a jumper. Mac Etienne and Clark each added a free throw to push the Bruins’ advantage to six with 1:52 to play.
Kentucky failed to convert open looks on its next two possessions before UCLA finished it off. Campbell made a jumper off the glass and Clark stole the ball before adding an emphatic dunk to close the scoring.
Kentucky erased a 13-point deficit to forge a 40-40 tie before Jaquez answered with a layup on the ensuing possession. Campbell made a free throw following a technical foul and Singleton drained a 3-pointer to give UCLA a six-point advantage.
Jaquez made two layups and sank three straight jumpers during a 22-11 surge to give UCLA a 31–18 lead with 6:31 remaining in the first half.
Kentucky cut the deficit to eight at intermission and forged a 38–38 tie after Livington made jumpers on three consecutive possessions.
