The No. 22-ranked UCLA men's basketball team lost to New Mexico, 72-64, on Friday night in a neutral-site matchup at Lee's Family Forum in the Bruins' second game of the season.
Tyler Bilodeau led the Bruins (1-1) with 23 points and 15 rebounds, becoming UCLA's first player since Jaime Jaquez Jr. on Feb. 4, 2023, to record at least 20 points and 15 boards in one game. Bilodeau made 8 of 20 shots against New Mexico, recording his first double-double as a Bruin and the fourth in his collegiate career.
New Mexico's Donovan Dent led the Lobos (2-0) with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, finishing the contest as one of three Lobos to score in double figures. In addition, New Mexico received 16 points from Nelly Joseph and 13 points from CJ Noland.
"Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed in some of our guards," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "There are three things you've got to do – defend, rebound, and take care of the ball. We didn't take care of the ball. We didn't really rebound early either. We started rebounding, but we didn't rebound early. They were nine for their first 11."
Bilodeau was the only UCLA player to score at least 10 points. Trent Perry totaled eight points, while Kobe Johnson and Skyy Clark finished with seven points. The Bruins finished the evening having made 20 of 55 shots and committed 21 turnovers. New Mexico had 24 turnovers.
New Mexico led the game from start to finish, pushing its advantage to as many as 16 points midway through the second half. With seven minutes to play in the game, the Bruins used a 7-0 scoring run to tri New Mexico's advantage to nine points, 66-57. With 5:32 remaining, Bilodeau forced a turnover and finished at the rim to cut UCLA's deficit to single digits.
The Bruins traded baskets with the Lobos and cut New Mexico's margin to nine points at multiple instances in the second half. UCLA was unable to get any closer over the game's final minutes.
Each team committed 10 turnovers in the first half. New Mexico capitalized with 14 points off those turnovers, shooting 61 percent from the floor and 55 percent from beyond the 3-point arc to build a 41-30 lead at the break. Joseph made 4 of 5 shots for UNM, knocking down six of his eight foul shots to tally 14 first-half points.
New Mexico extended its lead to eight points shortly after the game's first media timeout, but Perry responded by draining the Bruins' first 3-pointer of the game. The Lobos took advantage of an early 7-0 scoring run to extend their lead to 10 points by the 12:40 mark in the opening half (leading UCLA, 21-10).
The Bruins held New Mexico scoreless during a three-minutes span in the first half, clawing to within four points. Bilodeau helped lead the charge by hitting two consecutive jumpers and finished the opening half with nine points and seven rebounds.
UCLA will host Boston University on Monday, Nov. 11, at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT, as the game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
