A Dramatic Shift in Momentum

It was just a year ago when the UCLA men’s basketball team took it to Iowa, leading by 33 points at halftime and securing a 24-point victory in Los Angeles. The teams reversed roles on Saturday, as the 25th-ranked Hawkeyes led by 18 at the break and appeared to be on their way to some payback. While it wasn’t a carbon copy of last year’s game, the result was all the same.

UCLA point guard Donovan Dent scored 20 of his season-high 25 points in the second half, but Iowa’s own top guard was saddled with foul trouble late. However, the effort wasn’t enough to keep the Bruins’ three-game winning streak alive, and the Hawkeyes held on for a 74-61 victory at Hawkeye-Carver Arena in Iowa City.

UCLA (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) shot 50% in the second half, but a slow start that included trailing by as many as 24 points before halftime was too much to overcome. Forward Tyler Bilodeau was the only other Bruin to score in double figures and finished with 10 points.

The Bruins dropped to 0-3 against ranked opponents this season.

Iowa (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) extended its win streak to four games and improved to 9-0 at home. Point guard Bennett Stirtz, who played with four fouls over the final eight minutes, scored a game-high 27 points to go with five assists as one of four double-figure scorers for the Hawkeyes.

UCLA will look for a bounce-back performance Tuesday at Wisconsin.

Turning Point of the Game

The Bruins trailed 20-7 midway through the first half. Top Hawkeyes reserve Alvaro Folgueiras opened the contest 3 of 3, all on 3-pointers, in that stretch. Folgueiras finished with 13 points.

As UCLA struggled to find good looks, the likes of Stirtz were making deep 3-pointers. Stirtz led all scorers at the half with 14 points, and he and Folgueiras had six of Iowa’s seven baskets from beyond the arc.

Dent had three of the team’s nine turnovers in the half. He was the Bruins’ top scorer at the break with just five points, and Iowa took a 40-22 lead into the locker room.

UCLA came out with a full-court press in the second half and found some early success with a 10-0 run sparked by Dent. After a Dent layup, his quick steal and assist to reserve forward Brandon Williams for a dunk cut the deficit to 45-30 with 15:53 remaining. Dent then tacked on a stepback jump shot and reverse layup to pull within 11 points.

A Dent second-chance basket then made it a single-digit game. The Bruins outscored the Hawkeyes 16-7 over the first eight minutes of the second half.

Stirtz then picked up his fourth foul before a pair of Trent Perry free throws cut Iowa’s lead to 53-46 with 8:23 to play.

Jamar Brown’s catch-and-shoot corner 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Bilodeau got UCLA within 57-53 with 4:57 left.

Defensively, though, the Bruins ran out of steam, committed costly fouls down the stretch, and never got any closer.

UCLA Standout on Offense: PG Donovan Dent

After a nightmare opening half, Dent came out more aggressive on both ends of the floor and turned in his best scoring performance in a half since joining the program in the offseason.

Dent made 12 of 19 shots, including 10 of 16 in the second half, and finished with five assists. The team turned the ball over just three times in the second half, and he had none.

UCLA Standout on Defense: G Trent Perry

The reserve had an otherwise off night, but his presence paired with Dent helped the Bruins turn defense into offense during the quick start to the second half. Perry had two of UCLA’s six steals after the break.

Why UCLA Lost

It was all about the first half.

UCLA was unable to handle Iowa’s on-ball pressure from the start, finding little room to operate and shooting contested jump shots time and time again. Bilodeau had five first-half turnovers.

When the Bruins did have clean looks, they missed a handful of point-blank attempts around the rim.

The Bruins were just 9 of 24 from the field in the first half compared to the Hawkeye’s 14-of-25 start. Folgueiras had 11 of the 18 first-half bench points.

Defensively, UCLA allowed Iowa to shoot 7 of 16 on 3-pointers before the break.