Indiana men’s basketball (15-11, 6-9 Big Ten) had multiple chances to tie in the closing seconds but failed to finish, falling 72-68 to UCLA (19-7, 10-5 Big Ten) on Friday night in front of a Cream and Crimson-themed stripe-out at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako missed an open 3-pointer from the left corner with six seconds left, and UCLA junior guard Dylan Andrews made two free throws with four seconds remaining to seal the Bruins’ road victory.
The Hoosiers have lost four consecutive home games for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.
Senior forward Luke Goode finished with 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half. Mgbako, who missed a majority of the first half due to a right ankle injury but returned after halftime, also tallied 14 points, as did junior forward Malik Reneau.
Indiana shot only 7 of 28 from distance, a stark contrast to UCLA’s 9 of 20 performance.
The Hoosiers began the game in a 2-3 zone defense, which they found success with during their 71-67 victory over No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday. UCLA, however, started hot offensively, shooting 3 of 4 from the field in the first five minutes. Indiana led 10-9 at the under-16 media timeout.
But the Hoosiers cooled down. They made only one field goal over the next nine minutes, traded zone for man defense and saw their lead turn into a 27-15 deficit with six and a half minutes remaining in the first half.
UCLA led by as many as 13 points in the first half and carried a 35-25 advantage into halftime.
Indiana wasted little time responding. Spearheaded by 8 points from Goode, the Hoosiers cut their deficit to 42-38 at the under-16 timeout. The Bruins countered with a 10-5 run, extending their lead to 52-43 with 12 and a half minutes left.
The Hoosiers cut the margin to 6 points or fewer four separate times, and they trailed by only 2 points with 50 seconds left. After forcing a jump ball and regaining possession, Indiana had several chances to tie — one from redshirt sophomore point guard Myles Rice and two from Mgbako.
But all proved unsuccessful. Andrews knocked down two free throws, and Goode’s putback layup at the buzzer came six seconds too late.
Indiana has nine days off before facing No. 7 Purdue at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 23 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
