No. 7 UCLA conjures March Madness intensity in dominating win over No. 3 Arizona

For the briefest of moments, Peyton Watson was beaten.

Arizona’s Justin Kier saw the opening and drove toward the basket for what looked like a sure layup. The Wildcats guard released the ball only for it to meet an unexpected fate, the shot swatted from behind by an outstretched hand of UCLA’s impossibly long-armed freshman.

Kier tumbled to the court along the baseline in disbelief. Watson hovered over his counterpart for a few menacing beats, his lingering presence saying it all.

The Bruins were tougher. The Bruins were savvier. The Bruins were better.

UCLA fans savored it all Tuesday night, roaring and waving tubular balloons behind one basket during what turned into a lengthy celebration in their return to Pauley Pavilion after being locked out of their home arena for nearly two months.

The seventh-ranked Bruins rewarded their faithful with a dazzling display during a 75-59 victory over third-ranked Arizona, providing one highlight play after another while allowing fans to crank up the decibel level anew.

UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) steals the ball from Arizona Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa during the first half.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA guard Tyger Campbell looks to inbound the ball as he is defended by Arizona center Oumar Ballo.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The calendar may have read late January, but the intensity level was unquestionably March, the Bruins locked in as if their season might end with a loss.

A crowd that nearly filled every seat inside the arena rarely had a moment to catch its breath in the battle between the top two teams in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins (14-2 overall, 6-1 Pac-12) eventually moved into a tie alongside the Wildcats (16-2, 6-1) in the conference standings while holding the tiebreaker.

It was an ensemble effort, point guard Tyger Campbell poking balls away for turnovers and Jaime Jaquez Jr. repeatedly slapping balls off Arizona counterparts out of bounds to help his team keep possession.

With victory assured in the final minutes, UCLA fans broke out an “Overrated!” chant before Johnny Juzang buried a turnaround jumper to give the Bruins a 16-point cushion. Juzang and Jules Bernard each finished with 15 points to lead four Bruins in double figures scoring.

After starting the game on such a tear that it seemed it might never miss, making six of its first seven shots, Arizona endured several lengthy cold spells and shot only 30.7%. Guard Bennedict Mathurin led the Wildcats with 16 points but needed 22 shots to get there, making just five.

Predictably from a team that had not lost in more than a month, Arizona made a run in the second half. The Wildcats buried three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, stirring some murmurs of unease as they pulled to within 53-46.

Jaquez countered with a three-pointer and a layup followed by a block to swing the momentum back his team’s way, and when Juzang found teammate Myles Johnson for a layup in which Johnson was fouled and made the resulting free throw, the Bruins held a 61-46 lead. There wasn’t much remaining doubt about the outcome.

After happily discarding the family fan plan it had adopted in the wake of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, UCLA welcomed back students and other fans for the first time since the Bruins beat Colorado on Dec. 1.

UCLA guard Tyger Campbell celebrates a 75-59 win over Arizona at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The students showed their hatred for Arizona a half hour before the game when they booed former Wildcats star Richard Jefferson as he walked past behind one baseline. Jefferson waved back in jest. The in-game host took another jab at the Wildcats, telling students to make some noise if Arizona wasn’t even their backup school.

Wildcats fans countered with a brief “U of A!” chant after the Arizona starting lineup was introduced, but it was quickly drowned out by cheers for the Bruins’ hype video shown on the scoreboard.

UCLA has cycled through three coaches and nearly four years since losing to Arizona, the Wildcats now dropping the last six games in the series. Arizona last vanquished the Bruins in a Pac-12 tournament semifinal in March 2018, needing overtime to pull it out.

UCLA suffered a loss before tipoff, top reserve Jaylen Clark being sidelined because of concussion-like symptoms after taking a hit to the face in practice. His absence deprived the Bruins of perhaps their best defender and one of their most athletic players.

The injury is especially concerning considering Clark had already suffered a concussion in the preseason. UCLA coach Mick Cronin has a history of being conservative with his players’ health, meaning there’s no chance of Clark being rushed back into games before he’s fully recovered.

Clark live-tweeted the game, sending out a message saying “Yea Pwat!” during a first half of highlights for Watson that included a three-pointer and a steal followed by a breakaway layup.

There was more celebrating to come in the game’s final moments for Watson as he clapped while the Bruins dribbled out the clock. He finished with five points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 19 impactful minutes off the bench.

This was just the opening act in a season series that resumes next week in Tucson. As far as the entertainment level goes, it was certainly worth of an encore.

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