LOS ANGELES – Anthony Dell’Orso scored 20 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers and two game-sealing free throws with 17 seconds left, to help Arizona beat UCLA 69-65 at the Intuit Dome on Friday.
Jaden Bradley added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, while making several clutch plays down the stretch for the Wildcats.
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Arizona led 67-65 with 19 seconds left before UCLA’s Xavier Booker fouled Dell’Orso, who hit both ends of a one-and-one free throw attempt. A final UCLA possession ended with a missed 3-pointer from Skyy Clark.
Arizona led 28-25 at halftime but UCLA hit 5 of 9 3-pointers over the first 13 minutes of the second half while taking leads of up to eight points. Power forward Tyler Bilodeau, a frequent nemesis of the Wildcats since playing for Oregon State in Pac-12 competition, hit two 3s over a five-minute period midway through the second half while Eric Dailey hit another.
But UA gradually puled back and took a 60-59 lead when Dell’Orso hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 2:51 left. Over the next 90 seconds, Bradley drove inside for a layup and hit a 3-pointer, giving UA a 65-63 lead with 1:03 left.
On UCLA’s next possession, the Bruins missed shots from Donovan Dent and Bilodeau, while Bradley drove in for another layup. Dent then responded with a layup to pull UCLA within 67-65.
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Dell’Orso also scored 18 points a week earlier against Utah Tech when he was 3 for 4 from 3-point range.
In the first half, Dell’Orso scored 13 points off the bench while hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts to help Arizona take a 28-25 halftime lead over UCLA on Friday at the Intuit Dome.
The Wildcats shot just 37.9% from the field but had four 3s, including another from Brayden Burries to open the scoring, while scoring 16 points off UCLA’s 12 turnovers.
Led by center Xavier Booker, who had eight points, UCLA shot 45.5%.
The Bruins hit 3 of 5 three-pointers early in the first half while going on a 9-0 run to take a 15-5 lead seven minutes into the game while the Wildcats missed five shots in a row. That prompted a timeout during which UA coach Tommy Lloyd took forward Koa Peat out and replaced him with Tobe Awaka, giving Awaka and 7-footer Motiejus Krivas extended time together.
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The Wildcats then rattled off 10 straight points, including two 3-pointers from Dell’Orso, to tie the game at 15 midway through the first half.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Anthony Dell’Orso drops 20 to help UA Wildcats top UCLA at Intuit Dome
