Dailey leads No. 22 UCLA Bruins over 14th-ranked Gonzaga
Zags fall 65-62 to drop to 9-4 on the season
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 18 points, making four 3-pointers, and No. 22 UCLA edged 14th-ranked Gonzaga 65-62 on Saturday in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
Ryan Nembhard’s basket gave Gonzaga a 60-58 lead with 56 seconds left before the Bruins (11-2) scored five points in a row. Sebastian Mack converted a traditional three-point play with 33 seconds remaining to put UCLA ahead, and Skyy Clark hit two free throws 20 seconds later.
Nembhard then drove the length of the court and scored while getting fouled. After a timeout, he missed the potential tying free throw with 8 seconds to go.
Graham Ike fouled Clark, who made both free throws for a 65-62 lead with 5 seconds left. Nembhard’s 3-point heave from halfcourt missed at the buzzer.
Ike led the Bulldogs (9-4) with 24 points and eight rebounds. Nembhard had 16 points and eight assists.
Graham was 11-of-16 from the floor on a day when both teams struggled offensively in the 18,000-seat arena.
It was a tough shooting day for UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau, who was limited to seven points — well under his team-leading 15.1 average — while going against Ike.
“We’re playing a great schedule and great teams,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “And you’re in position to win and in college basketball, you hope you can make a play, make a shot and get a stop at the end.”
Takeaways
Gonzaga: The Zags fell to 3-4 on neutral courts.
UCLA: The Bruins improved to 2-2 on neutral courts. They were coming off a two-point loss to North Carolina in New York City last weekend.
Key moments
The Zags lost starter Khalif Battle (five points) when he was ejected with 4:12 remaining in the first half for a flagrant-2 foul against Dailey. Before it was reviewed, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tore off his jacket. Early in the second half, Dailey and Nembhard were called for double technicals when things got heated between the teams.
Key stat
The Zags went 2-of-11 on 3-point attempts in the first half, when they trailed by 11. They made five 3s in the second half.
Up next
Gonzaga stays in the Los Angeles area to visit Pepperdine on Monday. UCLA visits Nebraska on Jan. 4 in Big Ten play.
GONZAGA (9-4)
Ike 11-16 1-1 24, Ajayi 0-2 0-0 0, Battle 2-4 0-0 5, Nembhard 7-12 0-1 16, Stromer 0-2 0-0 0, Hickman 2-6 0-0 6, Gregg 1-5 4-6 6, Huff 1-6 0-0 2, Innocenti 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 25-55 5-8 62.
UCLA (11-2)
Bilodeau 2-10 2-2 7, Andrews 0-5 0-0 0, Clark 3-5 4-4 11, Johnson 4-6 0-0 12, Dailey 5-10 4-6 18, Mack 1-7 2-5 4, Stefanovic 4-8 0-0 10, Mara 0-3 0-0 0, Perry 1-1 1-1 3. Totals 20-55 13-18 65.
Halftime — UCLA 27-25. 3-Point Goals — Gonzaga 7-24 (Nembhard 2-4, Hickman 2-6, Ike 1-1, Innocenti 1-2, Battle 1-3, Ajayi 0-1, Huff 0-1, Stromer 0-2, Gregg 0-4), UCLA 12-24 (Dailey 4-5, Johnson 4-6, Stefanovic 2-4, Clark 1-1, Bilodeau 1-4, Mack 0-1, Andrews 0-3). Rebounds — Gonzaga 30 (Ike 8), UCLA 35 (Clark 9). Assists — Gonzaga 17 (Nembhard 8), UCLA 16 (Clark 7). Total Fouls — Gonzaga 15, UCLA 15.
