LOS ANGELES — With his nose fully healed, Eric Dailey Jr. was able to shed his protective mask last week.
On Tuesday night, he traded it for a cape, as he saved the UCLA men’s basketball team with a game-winning floater with seven seconds left in a 63-61 victory over ninth-ranked Michigan State.
Dailey had been averaging 15 points over the last five games, but he was uncharacteristically hesitant and cold. Mick Cronin still called his number on the final possession and he answered.
With 24 seconds left and the score tied at 61-all, Skyy Clark dribbled the air out of the ball before passing it to Dailey, who drove and converted a go-ahead floater. Spartans guard Jaden Akins then saw his 3-point shot bounce off the front of the rim as time expired, as UCLA escaped with its sixth win in a row and its fifth of the season against a ranked team.
Over its recent winning streak, UCLA’s offense had sprung to life, scoring 78 points or more four times. On Tuesday, points became a premium as the Bruins seemingly grinded for open looks time and again.
The Bruins (17-6 overall, 8-4 Big Ten) extended their winning streak to six games as they handed the Spartans (18-4, 9-2) their second consecutive loss. Clark led the Bruins with 14 points, while Dailey finished with nine, his struggles seemingly exemplifying UCLA’s larger offensive issues.
Throughout much of the season, Clark has played the role of a consummate point guard. He controls UCLA’s pace, defends each opponent’s best guard and identifies and finds teammates for open shots. Throughout the first half on Tuesday, he was hunting them.
He was fouled on his first 3-point attempt and hit all three free throws. He dribbled into two more in the first half, a pull-up from the right wing and a step-back on the left side. His willingness to look for his own shot opened up passing lanes. He hit Lazar Stefanovic for a corner 3-pointer that gave UCLA a 25-24 lead. Two possessions later, he drove into the paint and acted as if he was going for a layup, but instead threw a lob to Aday Mara.
Clark’s second 3-pointer gave UCLA an eight-point advantage, its largest of the first half, with 1:18 left.
UCLA had deployed a man-to-man press on many occasions, but on Tuesday it fluctuated between a 2-2-1 and a 2-1-2 look. The Bruins’ press didn’t lead directly to many turnovers, but it sped up the Spartans’ offense and disrupted their sets.
In fact, it was their ball-screen defense that was especially effective. UCLA’s big men hedged and jumped ball-handlers, eliminating pocket passes and allowing the guards to recover. The wings oscillated from providing help to anticipating swing passes. The Bruins were plus-13 in the turnover margin and scored 19 points of 16 turnovers.
The Bruins stretched their lead into the double digits after six straight points from Tyler Bilodeau and a 3-pointer from Dylan Andrews. The Spartans answered with a slew of drives that drew contact and earned them trips to the free-throw line. With the margin cut to 48-42, Sebastian Mack drove and hung in the air for an and-1 layup.
After a hot start to the second half, Michigan State’s defense locked in and UCLA struggled. With the Spartans getting stops, the Bruins couldn’t set their defense and openings began to form. The Spartans tied the score at 54 after five straight points from Jaden Akins and a pair of free throws from Carson Cooper.
The score was tied three times in the final seven minutes. With 2:50 left, Clark found a wide-open Lazar Stefanovic for a right-wing 3-pointer that put UCLA ahead, 61-59. Tied at 61-all, Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler missed in the lane, rebounded his own miss and got called for traveling with 23 seconds left, setting the stage for Dailey to rescue UCLA.
More to come on this story.