The Bruins couldn’t escape the upset.
UCLA men’s basketball (7-6) fell to Cal State Fullerton (4-10) 77-74 on Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. The loss gave the Titans their first victory over a Power Five opponent since Dec. 2011 and just their second win over the Bruins in program history.
Fullerton took control of the contest in the first 10 minutes of the second half, rattling off a 25-7 run to go ahead 65-51 after trailing by four points just six minutes prior. The Titans used the 3-point shot to break open their lead, knocking down 12 of their final 16 attempts from beyond the arc despite starting the game 2-of-8 from distance.
UCLA clawed its way back into the game, however, scoring 17 unanswered points in 5 minutes, 11 seconds to take a 68-65 lead with just under five minutes to go in the contest. Redshirt freshman guard Tyger Campbell punctuated the run with his third 3-pointer of the afternoon.
Fullerton responded by scoring 12 of the game’s next 18 points to take a 77-74 lead with 23 seconds remaining, leaving UCLA with a chance to tie the game. Coming out of a timeout, freshman guard Jake Kyman had a look from beyond the arc, but he missed the shot, forcing the Bruins to foul.
However, a missed free throw by Titan guard Austen Awosika in a 1-and-1 situation gave the Bruins one final possession with 10 seconds left, but redshirt senior guard Prince Ali turned the ball over, ending any chance at forcing overtime.
Fullerton had four different players score 13 or more points in the game, with guard Wayne Arnold’s 19 points leading the way. Meanwhile for UCLA, just three players managed to score in double-figures, including Campbell who led the team with 18 points.
Redshirt sophomore forward Cody Riley also added 12 points, while freshman guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. managed to score 11 points despite missing a portion of the second half due to an injury.
UCLA will now enter Pac-12 play riding its first three-game losing skid since Feb. 2019. The Bruins have not won a game since Dec. 8 and won’t get another chance at righting the ship this month.
UCLA will return to action at Washington on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.