No. 2 UCLA rallies to beat No. 4 Villanova 86-77

Updated Nov. 13, 2021 2:01 a.m. ET

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Johnny Juzang scored 25 points and No. 2 UCLA overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit before taking control in overtime to beat fourth-ranked Villanova 86-77 on Friday night.

Jules Bernard banked in a jumper that tied it at 67 with 30 seconds to go to force overtime, when cheering, chanting fans in Pauley Pavilion remained on their feet until the final buzzer.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 21 points and 13 rebounds and Bernard finished with 16 points for UCLA (2-0).

Jermaine Samuels scored 20 points and Collin Gillespie scored 18 points to lead Villanova (1-1).

After getting to the line just seven times in regulation, the Bruins made all 12 of their free throws in the five-minute extra session, when they outscored the Wildcats 19-10.

Caleb Daniels missed two 3-pointer attempts and Gillespie missed a layup before Samuels hit a 3 in the closing seconds.

The Wildcats, the 2018 national champions, had their share of supporters under the 11 national championship banners.

Neither team gave an inch until midway through the second half.

Leading by one, the Wildcats outscored the Bruins 11-2 to take the game's first double-digit lead, 60-50. Four different players scored in the spurt, with Eric Dixon's three-point play getting it going. Samuels dunked and Justin Moore and Gillespie made consecutive 3-pointers.

Three times the Bruins got within two over the final four minutes — the last when Juzang made a pair of free throws to trail 67-65. Moore missed a layup with 0.2 seconds left that forced overtime.

The game was the earliest matchup by date between AP top-five teams at a campus site in the history of the poll that began in 1948-49, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It also was the first non-conference matchup between two top-five teams in Pauley Pavilion since March 1, 1992, when then-No. 4 UCLA lost to top-ranked Duke.

The Bruins were sloppy with the ball, committing 14 turnovers that the Wildcats turned into 19 points.

The Wildcats settled down after an early deficit and outscored the Bruins 24-15, including 10 straight points, to end the half. They took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Gillespie, the first of three treys in a row during the spurt.

After committing four of their seven turnovers in the half, the Bruins recovered to close with a 3-pointer by Bernard and consecutive baskets by Juzang, the second going through the net at the buzzer, for a 32-30 lead.

The Bruins were without starting forward Cody Riley, who strained his left medial collateral ligament in a collision during the season opener Monday. He'll be reevaluated next week. Rutgers graduate transfer Myles Johnson started in Riley's place.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova: The Wildcats face tough opponents in the next several weeks, and all of the games are on the road. Next up is No. 18 Tennessee, followed by either No. 7 Purdue or No. 19 North Carolina — all in the Hall of Fame Classic. No. 8 Baylor hosts the Wildcats in early December.

UCLA: The Bruins are less than two weeks away from a game against No. 1 Gonzaga in Las Vegas. Between Villanova and the Zags, they'll find out very quickly what they're made of.

UP NEXT

Villanova: Hosts Howard on Tuesday in the teams' third-ever meeting.

UCLA: Hosts Long Beach State on Monday in the third of four straight home games.

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