LAS VEGAS – Mick Cronin called this a chance to find out the truth about his team.
The early verdict: These kids are all right.
Maybe quite a bit better than all right.
Shorthanded and stuck in massive foul trouble practically the entire game, UCLA fought back with one gritty performance after another Monday night against an old nemesis in its season opener.
Freshman Joe Philon III buried one fearless 3-pointer. Xavier Booker nailed another. And freshman Nikola Kusturica threw a home-run pass that Eric Dailey Jr. converted into a vicious dunk.
Add it all up and No. 5 UCLA held off an epic comeback during an 84-75 victory over No. 5 Arizona at T-Mobile Arena in the Hall of Fame Series.
With a lead that had once stood at 16 points early in the second half down to 3 with 42 seconds left, Kusturica hurled an inbounds pass toward Dailey for a breakaway dunk. Booker then blocked a shot, Kusturica was fouled and made two free throws and that was that.
UCLA (1-0) held on for the kind of quality nonconference win it lacked last season on the way to getting a 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA guard Trent Perry scored 21 points – largely on the strength of making 11 of 11 free throws – and Dailey and Jaylen Petty added 13 points apiece as the Bruins withstood Arizona’s Ivan Kharkchenkov scoring 38 points.
When it was over, UCLA players pointed to a large throng of fans behind one basket who had made the trip from Westwood. Those fans stuck around to serenade Perry by chanting his name as he gleefully bounced off the court after completing an interview.
There was plenty to celebrate inside an arena where the crowd once tilted heavenly in the Wildcats’ favor, “U of A!” chants filling the place before player introductions.
They were silent in the final moments.
It was a triumph that also bucked a longstanding trend.
This arena has been the scene of nothing but disappointment for UCLA in recent years.
The Bruins never won a Pac-12 tournament here – thanks, Tony Padilla, for that horrible offensive foul call on Amari Bailey in 2023 – and lost to Gonzaga in another heartbreaker during the 2023 Sweet 16.
After UCLA lost to Baylor in this arena during that same season, Cronin could be heard yelling two doors down from the locker room.
He couldn’t have had many complaints at halftime Monday with his team holding a 43-29 lead.
The Bruins were a bit shorthanded, missing forward Filip Jovic after the transfer from Auburn sprained his left ankle in practice on Friday. He was wearing a protective walking boot to the game and is considered day to day.
It was only a few minutes into the game before UCLA found itself with another problem – foul trouble. The Wildcats were in the bonus with 13:37 left to go in the first half and ended up making 12 of 16 free throws.
UCLA responded to its foul trouble – two players had three fouls and three others had two fouls – by going to a zone defense that confounded the Wildcats.
The Bruins also ripped off a 14-0 run in just 2 minutes that was highlighted by a Sergej Macura 3-pointer in which he was fouled, making the resulting free throw to complete a rare 4-point play.
They were just getting started, plenty of highlights left to come.
