No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs fall in 65-62 battle against No. 22 UCLA

The Gonzaga Bulldogs lost their third game in a row against top-25 opponents and dropped to 9-4 on the season.

Dec 28, 2024, 3:55 PM

Gonzaga Bulldogs Khalif Battle UCLA Bruins...

Gonzaga's Khalif Battle fouls UCLA's Eric Dailey Jr. during a Dec. 28, 2024 game. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 18 points, making four 3-pointers, and No. 22 UCLA edged the 14th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs 65-62 on Saturday in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

No. 22 UCLA Bruins 65, No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs 62: Box Score

Ryan Nembhard’s basket tied it at 60 before the Bruins (11-2) scored five points in a row. 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 remaining.

Graham Ike fouled Skyy 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.

The Bruins holding a 3-point lead with 13.9 seconds left pic.twitter.com/4lQtfVC3qb

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 28, 2024

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.

AP Top 25: Gonzaga Bulldogs drops despite wins in 2 games last week