Arizona may have experienced a slow start against UCLA, but the Wildcats were not going to go quietly into the night.

Over the first 12 minutes of the game, UCLA was all over Arizona and built a 32-13 lead over the Wildcats. That stretch included 6 made 3-point field goals by the Bruins as UCLA built a 19-point lead.

Fortunately, Arizona slowly but surely woke up. Over the final 7 minutes of the first half, UCLA scored just 5 points as the Wildcats cut the deficit to 37-28 at halftime.

The second half featured a similar start with UCLA boosting its lead back to 17 points with a 45-28 lead with just under 16 minutes to play. Still, the Wildcats were not deterred with Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson playing big roles in the comeback.

Arizona finally took the lead with just over 4 minutes left in the game with a Caleb Love and-1 basket on a fastbreak:

UCLA would keep things close down the stretch but some sloppy possessions and clutch baskets by the Wildcats paved the way to a 77-71 win. It’s the largest comeback for Arizona since 2013 when the Wildcats overcome a 19-point deficit against Drexel.

The afternoon was made even more exciting with an in-game announcement that Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan and several other key members of the football program will return for the 2024 season.