On a night that honored Bill Walton and the Conference and Champions, Arizona needed all the help they could get from their veterans in a gutsy 69-65 win over storied Pac-10/12 rival UCLA. The Wildcats trailed early in the first half and late in the second half, but Anthony Dell’Orso orchestrated one his best games in red and blue to escape Los Angeles with a win and perfect 4-0 record.
After a slow start to his senior campaign, Dell’Orso erupted for a game-high 20 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. The Aussie also added two rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 28 minutes. Arizona is now 7-3 against UCLA under head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Veteran point guard Jaden Bradley continued the strong start to his senior season, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-10 from the field, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 35 minutes. Motiejus Krivas added another 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks for the Wildcats. Arizona shot 26-of-55 (47.3%) from the field, including 6-of-19 (31.6%) from the perimeter.
Defense and second chance opportunities were the name of the game for the Wildcats at the Intuit Dome. Arizona scored 22 points off of 16 forced UCLA turnovers and won the turnover battle 35 to 28, with 11 offensive boards leading to 12 second chance points.
The Wildcats trailed 15-5, but used a 14-4 run in under four minutes midway through the first half to rally back and take a 19-18 lead with 9:29 remaining in the first. From there, offense struggled as Arizona connected on just one field goal over the next seven minutes, before ending the half on a 7-1 run to take a 28-25 lead into the locker room.
Just like the win over NAU, Mo Krivas had another strong start to the second half, scoring back-to-back quick buckets including a dunk in just over two minutes. The Wildcats led by as many as seven with 15:51 to play, but trailed the Bruins 57-49 with 7:18 to play after the offense stalled once more. From there, Arizona leaned on Dell’Orso and Bradley, who out-scored UCLA 14-6 over the final 5:17 of the game.
After defeating UCLA 69-65, the non-conference gauntlet continues for Tommy Lloyd and Arizona. Up next, the Wildcats head to Storrs, Connecticut for the start of a home-and-home series against the No. 3 UConn Huskies and Dan Hurley on Wednesday, November 19.