After a big win over No. 11 Michigan State on the road, Hoosier fans were excited to see their team back on the court in Assembly Hall having the ability to take down another Quad 1 team when they take on UCLA. Indiana and UCLA are both storied programs with a history of big success and numerous National Championships under their belt.
With this series tied at 6-6, one team was going to take the lead and unfortunately it ended up being UCLA over Indiana. The Hoosiers fell to the Bruins 72-68 in Assembly Hall on a Friday night matchup in which UCLA held the control for most of the game.
For the first five minutes of the game, each team traded baskets with Indiana hitting a few bigger shots, but the Bruins took the lead on a three-point shot, a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the game.
Head coach Mike Woodson was able to keep his team in the game, even behind 10 points, which showed promise as the Hoosiers have had a problem getting behind big in games, not even giving them a chance at a comeback later.
Indiana forward Luke Goode led the Hoosiers in scoring with 16 points, hitting two clutch three-pointers to begin the Hoosiers' comeback attempt. Goode was followed closely by Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako who each scored 14 points.
The Hoosiers struggled from behind the three-point line shooting just 24.1% from deep while the Bruins seemed to be locked in from that shot, shooting a clean 45% from deep. The Hoosiers also only shot 40.3% from the floor while UCLA shot 47.3% from the floor.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin is a coach Indiana should target for their coaching search after the season when Woodson officially retires, as he stayed cool, calm, and collected and helped his team keep the lead that Indiana threatened.
The Hoosiers in the final minutes of the game came close to tying it up, but UCLA always seemed to hit the big shot they needed when they felt Indiana breathing down their back. Indiana actually has a chance to tie the game or take the lead with nine seconds left and the ball under the basket for an inbounds play. The in-bounder missed a wide open Myles Rice under the basket and instead elected to throw it to Mgbako who shot a three-pointer to take the lead that was offline adn landed in the hands of UCLA.
Some clutch free throws out the game, out of reach for Indiana, and handed them yet another loss this season, hurting their NCAA Tournament resume. Indiana has a lot of time until they turn around and welcome rival No. 7 Purdue to Assembly Hall on Sunday, February 23 at 12:30 p.m. EST.