The UCLA men’s basketball team defeated the University of Central Florida, 75-71, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
This win allows UCLA, seeded seventh, to advance further in the East Regional bracket. The Bruins maintained a lead for most of the game and held off a late push from tenth-seeded UCF. The victory brings UCLA’s season record to 24-11.
UCLA led by eight points at halftime and extended its advantage to as many as 14 points with just over eight minutes left in the contest. Despite UCF narrowing the gap to three points in the final seconds, UCLA secured the win with key free throws from Trent Perry. “We talked about it pregame, to answer your question,” Mick Cronin said, addressing how his team responded when UCF cut into their lead. “They have five wins this year, but they came back from 10 down or more. We talked about with our team. And although at times it didn’t look like it, we worked all week on our press offense. We knew it was coming. We started breaking the press and scoring.”
Eric Dailey Jr. led UCLA with 20 points while Perry contributed 15 points and five rebounds. Xavier Booker added another 15 points along with eight rebounds and four blocks. Donovan Dent also scored in double figures and recorded a season-high six steals.
UCLA played without senior forward Tyler Bilodeau due to a right knee sprain. For UCF, Jordan Burks scored a team-leading 22 points including six three-pointers.
Looking ahead, UCLA will face No. 2-seed UConn on Sunday, March 22 at Xfinity Mobile Arena for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16.
