Foul trouble dooms UCLA during a close loss to No. 11 Gonzaga

Gonzaga's Graham Ike and UCLA's Adem Bona battle for position while looking toward the basket

Staff Writer

Published Nov. 22, 2023 Updated Nov. 23, 2023 1:59 AM PT

HONOLULU — This one didn’t need a miracle shot to be frustrating.

Unable to stop picking up fouls or slow down an offensive juggernaut who practically couldn’t miss, UCLA found a new way to fall to an old nemesis.

Out of sorts from practically the opening tip, the Bruins never could sustain any rhythm during a 69-65 loss to No. 11 Gonzaga on Wednesday night at the Stan Sheriff Center in the fifth-place game at the Maui Invitational.

There was some late drama after UCLA’s Lazar Stefanovic made a three-pointer to pull his team within 66-63 with 56 seconds left. The Bruins got the ball back after trapping Ryan Nembhard, leading to a steal by Ilane Fibleuil.

“You think you’re going to win,” Stefanovic said of his mind-set at that moment.

But UCLA sophomore guard Dylan Andrews missed a jumper and freshman guard Sebastian Mack missed a contested layup on back-to-back possessions, ending any chances of completing the comeback.

It was Gonzaga’s fourth victory over UCLA in as many seasons, with Anton Watson adding his name to a growing list of Bulldogs villains that includes Jalen Suggs, Julian Strawther and Drew Timme. Watson was unstoppable no matter who did — or didn’t — defend him, the forward often slipping past his man for baskets or spotting up for three-pointers on the way to 32 points while making 14 of 15 shots for Gonzaga (4-1).

Stefanovic and Mack each had 16 points for UCLA in a game featuring a combined 51 fouls between the teams.

A ragged showing by the Bruins (4-2) on both ends of the court was a step back two nights after what appeared to be a breakthrough against Marquette in another close defeat.

“We had our chances, we just didn’t play well early,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We were just digging out all night and we didn’t make enough shots to dig out, but we never quit and that’s because we got the guys in there that got it going, that kept fighting for us. So that was important.”

Fibleuil topped the list of players who made a case for a bigger role, finishing with eight rebounds, six points and two blocks to go with his late steal while playing only 17 minutes.

“Fibleuil showed a lot of heart tonight,” Cronin said of the freshman guard whose rebounding total topped the combined five snagged by Bruins big men Adem Bona, Aday Mara and Kenneth Nwuba.

Of course, it’s hard to do anything while on the bench in foul trouble.

Bona picked up his fourth foul with 9:48 left and teammate Nwuba fouled out 10 seconds later. Struggling to complete opportunities around the basket, Bona finished with 11 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

“Sometimes his intensity, he can’t think because he’s too intense,” Cronin said. “It’s why he dropped a few balls, because he’s anxious to dunk it. We needed those points; it happened twice.”

Once down 13 points in the first half, UCLA took a 41-40 lead early in the second half on Bona’s hook shot. But the Bruins’ already grim foul situation quickly became dire. Bona picked up his third foul and headed to the bench alongside Nwuba and Mara, who were already there with four and three fouls, respectively.

That forced seldom-used freshmen Devin Williams and Brandon Williams onto the floor, an unexpected development in a game of this magnitude. Gonzaga embarked on a 13-1 run that Bona’s return couldn’t halt, taking a 53-42 lead on Watson’s three-pointer.

Cronin credited his players for continuing to fight on a night that Andrews made only two of 15 shots and Mara went scoreless in three minutes.

“I liked the way our guys never gave up despite the fact that we didn’t make a lot of shots and Watson was having a career night,” Cronin said.

UCLA trailed 38-34 at the end of a foul-riddled first half that often felt like it was on the verge of becoming a runaway in Gonzaga’s favor.

The teams combined for 29 fouls, with the issue particularly acute among the Bruins’ big men. Nwuba picked up three fouls to go with Bona and Mara each getting two. Bona also was repeatedly beaten to the basket by Watson, earning him Cronin’s wrath in a timeout huddle.

“He had a couple of times defensively where he left Watson,” Cronin said. “What happens with breakdowns early, any guy can see the ball go in the basket and your confidence grows, you start to feel like it’s your night.”

It was Gonzaga’s night once again, just like it’s been every time these teams have met in recent years.