Maryland beats UCLA 69-60 as UCLA drops their 4th straight game

UCLA Bruins #2 Dylan Andrews (G) is dribbling the basketball upcourt and looking for a teammate to pass the basketball to. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

WESTWOOD, CA – The Maryland Terrapins (8-4) came into Pauley Pavilion and handed the UCLA Bruins (5-6) their second straight home loss this week. It was the Terrapins' first-ever win at UCLA in their 119-year history.

 It was the fourth straight loss for the Bruins who dropped to a losing record for the first time this season. The home loss was especially shocking for the three-and-a-half point favorite Bruins who entered the week riding 29-straight home wins dating back two seasons.

 “We knew that they (UCLA) came off a tough loss,” said Maryland Coach Kevin Williard. “We really wanted to have the ball in Jahmir’s hands at the beginning of the game.”

 Jahmir Young powered the Terrapins with 37 points including 23 in the first half. Sebastian Mack led the Bruins in scoring for the second straight game with 17 points with Dylan Andrews chipping in 11.

The game started eerily similar to their last game with UCLA digging themselves a hole early, down double digits at the half before strong second-half runs made the game close in the final minutes.

 “We’ve lost on confidence,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after their fourth straight loss. 

 Cronin shook up the starting line-up inserting 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara in hopes that a strong interior defensive presence would slow down points in the paint. Young had other plans in mind attacking the freshman Spaniard early with a layup on the first play of the game.

 Young continued his offensive onslaught nailing three-pointers on back-to-back possessions and Mara was pulled as Maryland took an early 8-4 lead.

 Mack battled back with an acrobatic transition jump-stop making a tough hoop as he was fouled. The three-point play made it a one-possession game, 11-8 with 13:16 remaining in the first half. 

 UCLA wouldn’t make a field goal over the next five minutes and would find themselves facing their largest deficit of the game at halftime. Down 15-points, 43-28 the Pauley Pavilion crowd was stunned silent for most of the run.

 Young finished the half with 23 points making all but one of his shots and had more points than the rest of his team combined. The Bruins only had one player score more than five points in the first half and free throws were again a problem with UCLA who shot 56 percent at the charity stripe.

Fortunately for the Bruins, they were tied in rebounds and turnovers with Maryland, a stark contrast from UCLA’s halftime numbers in their last game.

 In the second half, the crowd awoke from the most unlikely of sources, a pair of missed free throws. With 12:58 left in the game Maryland’s Julian Reese missed a pair of free throws and the arena erupted with cheers as the crowd earned a free order of Fat Sal’s fries, part of the tie-in promotion when an opposing player misses a pair of second-half free throws. It was the loudest the crowd had been up until that point and the crowd’s energy from that point on seemed to spark the Bruins. 

 A minute later Adem Bona had a monster rejection sending a Reese shot nearly out-of-bounds, which had the crowd on their feet.

 Maryland had eleven minutes in the second half without a field goal as the Bruins defense tightened up.

 A loose-ball foul sent Brandon Williams to the line where the freshman guard was able to cut the lead to single digits, 53-44 with nine minutes remaining in the game.

 UCLA would go on an 11-2 run cutting the lead down to two points, 57-55 with a Mack pump fake basket in the lane with 5:27 remaining. 

Maryland’s offense got hot down the stretch with Young scoring seven of Maryland’s final 13 points for the 69-60 win.

 “He had 37 and last year probably had six against us,” said Cronin of Young. “I told the guys he’s got to have 25 to get the win and he got it at halftime.”

 Maryland nailed seven three-pointers in the game while the Bruins only hit one, one of the main reasons for the loss.

 “They’re shooting 26 percent, they’re 350th in the country,” said Cronin. “Give them credit, they came in and made shots.”

UCLA will look to bounce back next week against the Oregon State Beavers (8-3) at the Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.