INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Dell'Orso scored 20 points off the bench and Jaden Bradley hit the go-ahead 3-pointer to help No. 5 Arizona rally for a 69-65 victory over 15th-ranked UCLA on Friday night
in the Hall of Fame Series at Intuit Dome.
The early season neutral-court matchup reunited the longtime Pac-12 Conference rivals, who went their separate ways last season. The Bruins joined the Big Ten, while the Wildcats went to the Big 12.
There were dueling chants of “UCLA” and “UofA” from the crowd that created a postseason atmosphere to match the high level of play in the NBA arena.
Dell’Orso had 13 points in the first half, when he made three 3-pointers. He was limited to a pair of free throws in the second half until hitting a 3 that put Arizona ahead 60-59. Dell'Orso made two free throws with 17 seconds left that gave the Wildcats a four-point lead.
Tyler Bilodeau scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor for the Bruins (3-1). Eric Dailey Jr. added 13 points and Donovan Dent had 11 points and eight assists.
The Bruins opened an eight-point lead behind Bilodeau, the big man who has been playing on the perimeter more this season. His 3-pointer gave UCLA a 57-49 advantage.
Arizona then went on an 11-2 run, capped by Dell'Orso's 3.
Bradley scored inside, hit a 3-pointer and drove inside again to extend Arizona's lead to 67-63.
Last season, the Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, while the Bruins were beaten by Tennessee in the second round.
The two schools combined to win or share 29 of the final 42 Pac-12 Conference regular-season titles from 1983 through 2024.
It was the 115th meeting between the programs. UCLA leads the series 64-51.
USC routed Illinois State 87-67 in the opening game of the doubleheader.
Arizona visits No. 3 UConn on Wednesday.
UCLA hosts Sacramento State on Tuesday.
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