Dominant Victory: Men’s Basketball Overpowers Iowa 94-70

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men’s basketball squad reverted to its victorious form by defeating Iowa, 94-70, on Friday evening inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

 

The Bruins (12-6, 3-4) delivered a thrilling first-half display to conquer Iowa (12-6, 3-4), ending a four-game losing streak in Big Ten Conference play.

 

UCLA demonstrated effective ball movement on offense against the visiting Hawkeyes, recording assists on 18 of its 23 field goals in the first half. By halftime, the Bruins led 57-24. This moment marked UCLA’s highest scoring output in a half since 2016 and their biggest scoring margin at the break since 2012.

 

Overall, the Bruins amassed 26 assists, equaling a season-high.

 

Five Bruins reached double digits, with Eric Dailey Jr. topping the list with a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including one 3-pointer and six out of seven free-throw attempts. Tyler Bilodeau shot 8-of-10 from the field for 18 points while Dylan Andrews connected on three 3-pointers to finish with 13 points.

 

William Kyle III delivered multiple highlight-reel dunks, contributing a season-best 12 points in his 6-for-7 outing. Also reaching double figures was Skyy Clark, who hit two 3-pointers to support his 12-point performance.

 

Bilodeau spearheaded the first-half surge, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. For the half, the Bruins recorded a shooting percentage of 65.5 from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. Andrews (13 points) and Dailey Jr. (10 points) also hit double digits in the first half.

 

UCLA capitalized on its first five possessions, taking a 12-4 lead in the early minutes of the game. Clark and Andrews aided the early push with a couple of 3-pointers. The Bruins began the game making their first nine attempts from the floor, with Bilodeau scoring four of those early baskets.

 

The blistering beginning propelled UCLA to a 21-9 advantage, prompting Iowa to call a timeout with 14:10 remaining. The Bruins tightened their defense, holding the Hawkeyes scoreless for over three minutes during a 14-2 scoring spree.

 

UCLA then solidified its defense, shutting out the Hawkeyes for over four minutes in a 17-2 scoring run, netting 15 consecutive points in the process. The Bruins’ aggressive defense restricted Iowa to its lowest first-half point total of the season.

 

William Kyle III thrilled the home crowd with a pair of emphatic dunks in the final moments of the half, leading UCLA to a 33-point lead at halftime. Kyle III accumulated eight points in the first half, surpassing his previous season high in just 12 minutes of play.

 

Dailey Jr. took charge in the second half, scoring 11 points to quickly exceed the 20-point threshold. He connected on four of his first five attempts from the field, including a 3-pointer. The scoring continued to flow for UCLA, establishing a lead as great as 36 in the second half.

 

Iowa mounted a 14-2 run to reduce the Bruins’ lead to 23 points with 5:12 left, but a 7-0 scoring surge by UCLA restored a 30-point cushion.

 

The Bruins will wrap up their two-game home stretch against Wisconsin on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (PT), inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The matchup will be streamed on Peacock (NBC’s streaming platform).