They gathered near midcourt for a quickie huddle in the final seconds, arms around shoulders, a few players hopping in glee after things had seemed so bleak only minutes earlier.
Tyger Campbell chest-bumped Jaime Jaquez Jr. in a prelude to more celebrating, Jaquez flapping his arms to increase the din inside a rollicking Pauley Pavilion.
In a showdown of top-five teams that lived up to the hype, second-ranked UCLA overcame its offensive impatience and inability to get stops by wiping out a 10-point deficit in the second half of a pulsating 86-77 overtime victory over fourth-ranked Villanova before a soldout crowd of 13,659.
The Bruins (2-0) opened a 74-69 lead in the extra period after Johnny Juzang buried a jumper and Campbell sucked in the defense by driving toward the basket and passing to Jaquez for a three-pointer.
After not attempting one free throw until there was 5 minutes 29 seconds left in regulation because it continually hunted jump shots, UCLA made all 12 free throws in overtime to avoid any additional late drama.
The Bruins forced overtime after wiping out a 60-50 deficit over the final nine minutes of regulation. UCLA sophomore guard Jaylen Clark, subbed in for Juzang for defensive purposes in the final minute, came up with a huge rebound that allowed Jules Bernard to bank in a hanging floater to tie the score with 30 seconds left.
UCLA’s Jaylen Clark battles for loose ball with Villanova’s Justin Moore during the first half.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Clark also had his hand in the final play of regulation, heavily contesting Justin Moore’s driving layup that missed and grabbing the rebound at the buzzer.
Juzang scored 25 points on nine-for-24 shooting after a relatively quiet six points in the first half. Jaquez added 21 points and 13 rebounds and Bernard had 16 points and nine rebounds.
Jermaine Samuels led the Wildcats (1-1) with 20 points.
The pageantry for the first nonconference game involving top-five teams at Pauley Pavilion was piled on thick. Students who had camped out overnight for tickets and the list of luminaries included actress Jessica Alba and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the former Bruins baseball star.
After a spotlight was fixed on doors leading to the UCLA locker room before the game, boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer emerged in a white tuxedo jacket, took a microphone and did his “Let’s get ready to rumble!” schtick.
UCLA’s Peyton Watson blocks a shot by Villanova’s Jermaine Samuels in the first half.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Juzang started the second half with a torrid shooting display reminiscent of his NCAA tournament scoring spree. He made his first five shots, connecting on a straightaway jumper, a three-pointer in transition, a runner in the lane, a spin move that he followed with a jumper and one more jumper to sustain the Bruins’ chances in the back-and-forth game.
Unfortunately for UCLA, Villanova was even hotter, making nine of 11 shots while taking a 60-50 lead on Collin Gillespie’s three-pointer. The Bruins sent their fans into one more frenzy, back-to-back three-pointers by Campbell making it 60-56 before Samuels answered with a three-pointer that extended the Wildcats’ advantage to 63-56.
The energy belied the bedtime start that was an even more absurd 11:30 p.m. for television viewers in Philadelphia. It’s the latest tipoff on UCLA’s schedule this season, a nod to a busy sports weekend that consumed the more attractive television time slots.
The game was a prelude to more big-time nonconference matchups as part of UCLA coach Mick Cronin’s efforts to build an enticing schedule, the Bruins slated to play top-ranked Gonzaga later this month and No. 19 North Carolina in December.
It was clear the quality of opponent had risen more a few notches from UCLA’s season opener against Cal State Bakersfield only moments into the game. Gillespie rose for a pull-up jumper over Juzang to tie the score and the Wildcats continually scrapped for balls as part of a defensive slugfest.
Juzang had the crowd rocking with a jumper at the halftime buzzer that gave the Bruins a 32-30 lead in a game that included wild momentum swings. The basket capped UCLA’s 7-0 run to end the half after Villanova had surged ahead with a 16-2 push that came courtesy of five Bruins turnovers in 51/2 minutes.
UCLA played without redshirt senior forward Cody Riley, who sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the season opener and will be re-evaluated next week. Riley is expected to miss at least a handful of games.
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