UCLA defeats Michigan State in the NCAA First Four tournament

They stood with their arms placed on each other’s shoulders on the bench in the final moments, rocking gently back and forth.

They stayed together when their season threatened to break up yet again, making plays that they previously missed in the final minutes, which represented a turnaround in luck compared to the previous two and a half weeks.

The UCLA Bruins fell the most in the first half. They were the ones who fought apparently without a chance.

Behind Michigan State by up to 14 points in the first half and 11 at halftime on Thursday night, the Bruins forced the overtime before extending their first appearance in an NCAA tournament in three years.

A loud eight-handed clap broke out inside the Mackey Arena after the Bruins prevailed for an unlikely 86-80 victory in a First Four game, courtesy of one violent move after another inside a building that is a sanctuary for the ex – UCLA technician, John De madeira.

“Perhaps the coach’s luck was with us,” said coach Mick Cronin after his first victory in the NCAA tournament on his first try with the Bruins.

Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s tenacious game took UCLA into overtime and Johnny Juzang’s extra-kick kick helped the Bruins to their first win in exactly three weeks.

Guard David Singleton jumped happily toward his teammates after the final bell sounded in the first UCLA NCAA tournament triumph since 2017.

“The players really needed this,” said Cronin, referring to the fact that his team had lost four consecutive advantages before this game. “I’m really, really happy for the guys.”

UCLA number 11 (18-9) will play Brigham Young on Saturday at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the first round. It is the beginning of what the Bruins hope will be three games in five days that would be needed to reach a regional semifinal.

Consecutive baskets from Juzang gave the Bruins a four-point lead to start overtime and generated audible discomfort in a crowd that leaned heavily in favor of the Spartans.

At the end of the game, Michigan State (15-13) recovered the ball by three points before Aaron Henry lost a pass out of bounds. UCLA’s Cody Riley dug in with both hands, extending the Bruins’ lead to five points, before the Spartans hit with a basket that proved especially expensive when Juzang fell hard along the bottom line and had to be helped off the court.

Jaquez finished with 27 points and Juzang added 23 before his departure with a sprained right ankle. He injured the same ankle two weeks ago, forcing him to lose the Bruins’ game against the USC.

UCLA never led before a spinning Jules Bernard layup with 5:48 remaining in the regulation. Then came a familiar disappointment, seeming to bite the Bruins harder than ever. The Spartans scored the next seven points, apparently taking control, before Jaquez recovered it.

The second guard charged his team after a bad start, climbing to three points and fighting for rebounds. His biggest rebound came on his own failed free throw, with Jaquez being dropped on a tray 28.7 seconds from the end. He made the resulting free throw to tie the score at 77-77.

Henry jumped up on Michigan State’s next ball possession, but Bernard was there to challenge it, the ball falling out of bounds and the referees initially granting the ball to the Spartans with 3.3 seconds remaining while deciding that Bernard had deflected the kick. But after a review, they handed the ball over to the Bruins.

Juzang’s half-court shot at the buzzer ricocheted off the back of the ring, taking the game into overtime.

Henry scored 16 points for the Spartans, who made just one of five shots in overtime, returning to the irregular game at the start of the season, when they were essentially a 0.500 team.

UCLA opened the second half with a 12-4 spurt, finally generating some defensive stops, to pull in 48-45. The Bruins had a chance to further reduce the handicap when Tyger Campbell headed towards the edge, but he missed a tray and striker Mac Etienne missed two strokes.

“We tried to increase the heat defensively in the second half and tried to make them uncomfortable as much as we could,” said Cronin. “The children responded.”

The Bruins had a few more pushes left, finally advancing on Bernard’s move which more than made up for two previous aerial balls.

A year after the pandemic led to the cancellation of the NCAA tournament, the Bruins withdrew what amounted to a no-show in the first half, falling behind by 44-33. The Spartans were so excited that they almost started fighting each other, coach Tom Izzo and Gabe Brown getting into a heated argument as they walked towards the locker room in the middle of the game.

Almost everything else was UCLA-style. Not long after the final Bruin disappeared into the tunnel for the last time, Semisonic’s “Closing Time” resounded through the arena’s speakers.

Finally, after so many unfortunate endings, the final act belonged to the Bruins.