No. 12 Arizona knocks off UCLA with 19-point comeback
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Oumar Ballo had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Pelle Larsson scored 22 points and No. 12 Arizona rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat UCLA 77-71 on Saturday in the rivals' final Pac-12 game at McKale Center.
In an offensive funk the previous two games, the Wildcats (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12) continued to labor against one of the nation's best defenses while falling into a 32-13 hole midway through the first half.
Arizona trailed by 13 midway through the second half before rallying behind full-court pressure. Sparked by their defense, the Wildcats used an 12-2 run to pull within 55-52 and kept up the pressure.
Larsson scored on a putback with 52 seconds left and Ballo hit two free throws after Arizona survived three straight UCLA offensive rebounds to secure the hard-fought win.
The Bruins (8-11, 3-5) got off to stellar start in their final desert trip before leaving for the Big Ten next season. The Pac-12's worst 3-point shooting team, UCLA used the arc to trigger a dominating first half, scoring 13 straight points as part of a larger run while building a 19-point lead.
The Bruins struggled with Arizona's defense from the midpoint of the second half, both in the full court and when the Wildcats dropped into halfcourt D.
Sebastian Mack scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half to lead UCLA and Lazar Stefanovic added 17.
Shooting 29% from 3 on the season, the Bruins opened with 6 of 9 from the arc, including a 3 for 3 start by Stefanovic. Sparked by its perimeter shooting, UCLA went on 17-2 run to go up 32-13 as the Wildcats struggled offensively for the third straight game.
Arizona had a hard time getting good looks, missed numerous shots around the rim and had a scoring drought of more than 3 1/2 minutes during UCLA’s big run.
Then Arizona flipped a defensive switch.
Everything that had come easy for the Bruins suddenly became hard. UCLA went more than 5 1/2 minutes without hitting a field goal and Arizona went on an 11-1 run to pull within 37-28 by halftime.
THE TAKEAWAY
UCLA: The Bruins have had trouble closing out games and let another one slip away in their last trip to McKale Center as a Pac-12 team.
Arizona: A shaky start to both halves threatened to put the Wildcats in the crosshairs of an upset. They managed to pull it out behind their defense, which sparked the offense and the boisterous McKale Center crowd.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Plays at Southern California next Saturday.
Arizona: Plays at Oregon State on Thursday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball