3 keys in the BYU Cougars’ 73-62 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Tournament

No. 6 seed BYU never looked in sync much of the night and trailed the entire way in falling to the 11-seed Bruins 73-62 on Saturday night in their first-round NCAA Tournament matchup.

The loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis spoiled BYU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years, while UCLA’s win ensured every Pac-12 team in this year’s tournament advanced to the second round.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

• BYU struggled mightily from 3-point range, making just 3 of 17 from deep and 1 of 7 in the second half after trailing by 11 at the break. UCLA, which had to rally to beat Michigan State in a First Four game to get to Saturday’s first round, had a good night shooting from outside, hitting 8 of 19 3-pointers. Johnny Juzang led the Bruins by hitting 3 of 7 3-pointers — all of his makes came in the first half.

• Juzang scored a game-high 27 points while Jules Bernard added 16 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. 13. That was more than enough for the Bruins (19-9), who shot 48.3% from the field, to topple the Cougars (20-7), who shot 49% but attempted seven fewer field goals and couldn’t get in a rhythm. Senior guards Alex Barcello (20 points) and Brandon Averette (15) paced BYU in scoring, while Matt Haarms had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• UCLA was more efficient offensively, finishing with 10 assists to just a season-low four turnovers. BYU, meanwhile, had only five assists and 10 turnovers, and UCLA turned those turnovers in 11 points. The Bruins also had a 13-7 edge in second-chance points and had a pair of second-half possessions where offensive rebounds led to key points after the Cougars cut their deficit to four just minutes into the second half.

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3:44, second half

UCLA 64, BYU 53

Time is running out on BYU’s season, as the Cougars go into the final media timeout of the night trailing by 11. BYU is simply getting outhustled and outplayed on both ends of the flooor.

7:55, second half

UCLA 58, BYU 49

The Cougars continue to hang around, but BYU is just 3 of 14 on 3-pointers and needs to make another run soon to chip into this lead.

10:47, second half

UCLA 54, BYU 43

The Cougars cut the UCLA lead to four points on the back of a 10-0, but the Bruins have responded with an 11-4 run to push the lead back to double-digits. While BYU is shooting 7 of 11 this half, it has to get better defensively to make a game of this down the stretch.

15:48, second half

UCLA 43, BYU 36

The Bruins pushed their lead to a game-high 14 points in the opening moments of the second half, but BYU has responded with a mini 7-0 run to get back into this one. The Cougars will need to keep up the pressure defensively they’ve shown in the opening minutes of this half.

Halftime

UCLA 38, BYU 27

Johnny Juzang has 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and UCLA is in control in its matchup with BYU. The Bruins have shot 48.4% from the field and turned it over just twice, while BYU is struggling to find a rhythm offensively. Alex Barcello is the lone Cougar who’s looked okay offensively, as he has nine points.

2:56, first half

UCLA 34, BYU 23

The Bruins have created some separation by hitting seven of their past eight shots, including four 3-pointers. While BYU finally has gotten going a bit offensively, the Cougars can’t keep up if UCLA keeps this hot streak going. Johnny Juzang almost has as many points as BYU with 17, on 7 of 10 shooting.

6:45, first half

UCLA 21, BYU 17

The Cougars finally have a little bit going and have cut the UCLA lead to one a couple of times, but the Bruins have still led the entire way. BYU has shot just 35.5% to this point, compared to 40% for UCLA.

11:21, first half

UCLA 12, BYU 10

The Bruins extended their lead to 12-5, but BYU finally got a little something going offensively with back-to-back possessions with scores. Johnny Juzang has eight points early for UCLA.

15:08, first half

UCLA 7, BYU 3

The Cougars are off to a cold start — they missed their first six shots before Alex Barcello hit a 3, and they already have two turnovers. UCLA, meanwhile, has hit 3 of 8 from the field for the early four-point lead.

Pre-game

How will BYU look coming out of the gate? The Cougars haven’t played in 11 days.

Here are a few stories link to prep you for tonight’s game, as BYU returns to the NCAA Tournament: