This post originally appeared on UCLA’s Athletics website
Johnny Juzang recorded a game-high 25 points as the No. 2-ranked UCLA men’s basketball team recovered from a 10-point second-half deficit to capture an 86-77 overtime win over No. 4 Villanova on Friday night before a capacity crowd at Pauley Pavilion.
The contest, televised on ESPN2, was the first matchup of two top-five teams at Pauley Pavilion since the 1991-92 season.
UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. was also a key contributor for the host Bruins (2-0), posting a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double. He led all Bruins in overtime with seven points. Jules Bernard added 16 points, and finished one rebound short of a double-double. Redshirt junior point guard Tyger Campbell chipped in 14 points and passed for four assists.
Villanova (1-1) scored the first two points of the extra session, but the Bruins bounced back with a 7-0 run to quickly take control. Jaquez Jr. hit the biggest shot of that run, draining a 3-pointer after Campbell drove from the wing and two-handed a pass to him above the key. On the preceding play, Juzang connected on a lay-up after a Myles Johnson block to give the Bruins their first lead since early in the second half.
With UCLA firmly in control, Villanova began to foul, leading to a parade to the line for the Bruins. Bernard sank four consecutive free throws down the stretch to extend UCLA’s lead to double-digits with less than 10 seconds remaining.
The Bruins led by as many as nine in a back-and-forth first half. Senior guard David Singleton helped UCLA open up that margin, coming off the bench and hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 17-8 at the 10:37 mark. Villanova answered back with a 16-2 run later in the half, but UCLA went to the locker room with a two-point lead after Juzang hit a runner just before the buzzer to break a 30-30 tie.
The two teams remained close at the beginning of the second half, but UCLA wouldn’t lead for the rest of regulation after a 3-point make from Villanova’s Jermaine Samuels at the 15:08 mark. The visitors’ lead ballooned to as much as 10, with 9:24 remaining in the game, before the Bruins battled back to make it a close game down the stretch.
Immediately after Villanova made it a 10-point game, Campbell came back with consecutive 3-point baskets to reduce the deficit to four. The Bruins cut it to two after a lay-up from Jaquez with 3:55 remaining, and ultimately went on to tie the game after Jules Bernard hit an off-balance, running floater with 30 seconds left on the clock. UCLA got a stop on Villanova’s last possession to send the game into overtime.
Villanova had five players score in double figures, led by Samuels’ 20 points.
UCLA returns to action by hosting Long Beach State on Monday night at 8:00 p.m. (PT) in a non-conference tilt to be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
