LOS ANGELES -- No. 22 UCLA (11-4, 2-2) was thumped by No. 24 Michigan (12-3, 4-0) at home by a score of 94-75 Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Pauley Pavilion.
The 94 points scored is the most UCLA has allowed any opponent to score at Pauley Pavilion so far this season. The first half looked to be a repeat of UCLA’s previous struggles in their last game against Nebraska.
They were outscored and outscored quickly, and most of all, their three point shots were not falling. The Bruins failed to land a single three pointer in the first half, and going back to last game against Nebraska were just 4 for their last 36 from three through the first half.
Michigan took the lead early in the game and surged ahead with a quick 13-2 lead 15:16 remaining in the first half. Michigan center Vladislav Goldin ran the game for the Wolverines. The seven-foot-one center had 36 points on 13-18 shooting, more than double the next best player.
Goldin made his mark early, scoring 21 points in the first half with a combination of free throw precision, three pointers and devastating dunks, including back-to-back slams with about 15 minutes remaining in the first.
The Wolverines led by as much as 18 in the first half, but UCLA managed to battle back and cut down the deficit to a more manageable range.
Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack and junior forward Tyler Bilodeau led the Bruins in scoring in the first half, with 12 and 10 points respectively.
The Wolverines closed out the first half up with a commanding 47-37 lead. The Wolverines out-rebounded and out-assisted the Bruins in Tuesday’s match and outscored the Bruins from both three and overall. Michigan shot 62% FG in the matchup and landed more shots than UCLA while having eight less opportunities.
"We're too soft to play hard enough," UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said. "Even in the crucials, you can't get an offensive rebound."
The second half started out leagues better for UCLA. The Bruins went off on a 18-4 run to open the second half and cut down the Wolverine lead. The Bruins took their first lead of the night 52-51 on the tail-end of that run and energized the home Pauley Pavilion crowd.
Despite their plucky rise early in the half, UCLA failed to gain a significant lead after initially claiming it. The two teams battled back and forth and UCLA was never ahead by more than four.
“I thought the second half they [UCLA] came out and threw the first couple punches,” Michigan head coach Dusty May said. “We responded about midway through it.”
Eventually, the Wolverines retook the lead and began to inch away again. A 7-0 run to put Michigan up 70-62 with 8:18 remaining in the second half was the beginning of Michigan putting some real distance between them and the Bruins.
Another 7-0 run late in the half to increase the Wolverine lead to 17 sealed the deal. Michigan would ride out the final minutes and defeat the Bruins 94-75, their largest lead of the whole game on top of it being the final score.
Several Wolverines struggled with fouls throughout the game, forcing the whole team to contribute to the effort as certain players had to take a step back to preserve their place in the game. Four of the nine Wolverines finished the game with four personal fouls, though no one from the Michigan side fouled out, proving May’s caution correct.
While UCLA did show signs of life in the second half, their shooting scarcely improved. The Bruins only shot 2-12 from three in the second half. Michigan put up 47 points in each half while UCLA only improved by one between their first and second half scoring, explaining the gap between the two teams.
The loss puts UCLA at 2-2 in conference play while improving Michigan to 4-0 in the Big Ten.
UCLA hopes to snap their losing streak with a game at Maryland Friday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m.