Jaylon Tyson scored 16 points, Jalen Celestine 13 and Fardaws Aimaq scored 12 and grabbed 12 rebounds for Cal before fouling out.

Sebastian Mack made 1 of 2 foul shots for the Bruins with four seconds left for a 61-57 advantage. Celestine made a 3-pointer with .1 seconds left that made it a one-point game but the Bruins’ inbounded the ball to end it.

Both teams struggled to shoot as they each missed eight foul shots.

Aimaq’s put back off a Tyson miss gave Cal its last lead at 57-56 with 36 seconds remaining. Andrews’ jumper 12 seconds later gave UCLA the lead for good.

UCLA led 35-24 at halftime and it maintained the double-digit lead for the first six minutes of the second half before Cal got back into contention.

The Golden Bears outscored UCLA 12-6 and got within 47-41 on a layup from Tyson with 10:08 left. Berke Buyuktuncel made a 3 for UCLA for a nine-point lead before Cal scored eight straight reducing its deficit to 50-49 following a 3 from Celestine with 5:55 left. The score stayed that way until Tyson’s basket with 3:05 left gave Cal its first lead since four minutes into the game.

With the win, the Bruins (13-11, 8-5 Pac-12) moved into a third-place tie with Oregon. UCLA hosts Colorado on Thursday.

Cal (10-14, 6-7) travels to Pullman, Washington, to take on Washington State on Thursday.

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA women’s basketball team got a career effort from a reserve on a night when a key player returned to the lineup.

Gabriela Jaquez had 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, Kiki Rice scored 20 points and the ninth-ranked Bruins defeated Arizona, 66-58, on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion as Lauren Betts returned to the lineup after a four-game absence.

Rice shot 9 for 12 from the field and scored 10 of her points in the first quarter, while Jaquez scored 10 points in the third quarter. Rice shot 75% but UCLA’s four other starters were a combined 4 for 24. Jaquez was 8 for 15 shooting off the bench.

UCLA (18-4 overall, 7-4 Pac-12) led 31-28 at halftime and 48-43 after three quarters and always seemed to have an answer for Arizona (12-11, 4-7).

“We were doing good taking advantage of what was given to us,” Rice said. “I think we had really good ball movement and we recognized who the hot hand was and our defense was leading to offense. And a lot of that was getting those easy reads and lead to points.”

The Bruins went on a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take a 40-32 lead. When Arizona pulled within three points at 52-49 in the fourth, the Bruins went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 59-49.

Betts returned to the lineup after missing time for an undisclosed medical reason. The Bruins were 2-2 without the 6-foot-7 center, who didn’t start Friday but entered the game in the first quarter.

Betts, who has the nation’s best field-goal percentage at 68.3% and was averaging more than 15 points per game, scored her first basket in her return on a 6-footer off the glass in the second quarter and finished with six points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in 27 minutes.

UCLA had a short bench with Angela Dugalic and Lina Sontag playing in the women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brazil this weekend. Dugalic is playing for Serbia and Sontag for Germany.

“It’s huge,” UCLA coach Cori Close said of Betts’ return. “Obviously even more huge because we’re missing Lina and Angela.

“I think more than that is her spirit. Everyone was talking about that in practice yesterday. It’s not that she’s just a really good player, it’s her energy and spirit for the sake of the team and that was really missed. We’re thrilled to have her back.”

The Bruins, who are third in the country in offensive rebound percentage, had 18 offensive rebounds with Betts grabbing four of them.

Esmery Martinez scored 15 points for Arizona, which was without four players. Kailyn Gilbert added 14 points.

The Wildcats had 20 turnovers.

“Offensive rebounds and turnovers really hurt us,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said. “We had a lot of turnovers in the third quarter that led to transition baskets and those are daggers.”

BIG PICTURE

Arizona: The Wildcats are hanging tough in the middle of the pack in the top-heavy Pac-12. If they can make the NCAA Tournament – and the conference will undoubtedly send many teams – the high level of competition should prove beneficial.

UCLA: The outlook looks bright with Betts back.

UP NEXT

UCLA hosts Arizona State on Sunday at noon.

LOS ANGELES — USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb used some pre-game inspiration from “Ted Lasso,” challenging the 10th-ranked Trojans to get out of their comfort zone.

It worked.

JuJu Watkins scored 25 of her 31 points over the final two quarters and the Trojans routed Arizona State, 81-63, on Friday night at the Galen Center.

Playing her first home game since scoring a career-high 51 points in an upset of Stanford last week, Watkins started slowly. She had just six points on 3-of-12 shooting at halftime, including two airballs in the first quarter.

She also finished with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and went 8 for 9 at the free-throw line as the Trojans (17-4 overall, 7-4 Pac-12) won their third in a row.

After being held to just nine points in the first quarter, Arizona State closed to 38-31 on Trayanna Crisp’s 3-pointer to open the third.

But the Trojans answered, going on a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 50-33. Watkins scored six and McKenzie Forbes had four, including a steal and layup. Forbes finished with 18 points.

“Our energy was really good,” Gottlieb said. “We established ourselves inside the paint.”

Watkins scored USC’s final five points of the third for a 59-45 lead in front of “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis. She put on a show, battling in the paint and snaking through defenders to score.

“I’m totally starstruck,” Gottlieb said. “I was excited to see him here tonight.”

Watkins and Forbes combined to score the Trojans’ first 13 points of the fourth for a 72-50 lead. USC stretched its lead to 81-56 on Watkins’ layup before she sat down for good after playing 37 minutes.

“We just found another gear,” Gottlieb said. “We know we have an interior athletic presence and talented bigs and we challenged them to assert themselves.”

The Sun Devils (10-13, 2-9) have dropped nine of their last 11 games and remain mired in last place in the league. They were led by Jalyn Brown with 24 points. Crisp added 17. Crisp, Jaddan Simmons and Journey Thompson each had four fouls as ASU had just seven players available.

The Trojans led by 19 in the second quarter until they were outscored 14-5 over the final minutes to go into halftime leading 38-28.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State: The Sun Devils couldn’t keep up with the bigger Trojans and got outscored 46-30 in the paint.

USC: The Trojans’ defense forced 13 turnovers, had six blocked shots and outrebounded ASU 42-28, led by Rayah Marshall with 16 boards. She added 13 points. “I came out in the first quarter and it was tough to get my feel for offense,” Marshall said. “My teammates told me to keep shooting the ball.”

UP NEXT

USC hosts Arizona on Monday at 6 p.m.

While frustrated UCLA fans might be reveling in the news, significant challenges lie ahead. Jarmond asked the players for a 96-hour window before making any decisions to transfer from the university following Kelly’s departure. That window would end Tuesday.

The university is looking for a person, Jarmond said, who has the qualities of a CEO and will “embrace all aspects of a successful program” under today’s college football landscape, which is spearheaded by roster management, success on the field, recruiting, NIL and maintaining relationships with donors off the field.

Jarmond also mentioned the players’ desire, after meeting with them Friday, to have a coach to replace the 60-year-old Kelly – who was named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State – who can relate to them not only as a football player but as young men off the field.

Here’s a list of potential candidates for the UCLA football program:

D’Anton Lynn

Lynn, 34, helped turn the Bruins’ defense around in 2023 before leaving to become the defensive coordinator at crosstown rival USC. The Bruins finished as a top-10 defense this past season, allowing 301.5 yards per game. Standout Laiatu Latu and the defensive line also helped produce a rush defense that ranked second in the country after allowing just 80.5 yards per game. UCLA lost two of its top two secondary players, who followed Lynn to USC, but a quick return to Westwood could help keep most of the current roster intact.

Tony White

The UCLA alumnus’ name could be one to keep an eye on. White, 44, spent the past year as Nebraska’s associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He started his college coaching career as a graduate assistant for football operations at UCLA in 2007. Part of his duties included recruiting administration. White’s latest recruit was edge rusher Keona Wilhite, who chose Nebraska over UCLA this week.

DeShaun Foster

The former All-American running back returned to his alma mater to join the coaching staff in 2017. Foster, 44, helped develop several players, having a running back drafted in each of the past four years. The Tustin High alum left UCLA this month to take a job with the Las Vegas Raiders, but players have been outspoken on social media about potentially bringing him back as their next head coach.

David Shaw

The former Stanford head coach might be a long shot but he’s become familiar with the Bruins after his son, Carter Shaw, walked on as a receiver for the 2023 season. David Shaw, 51, has been spotted at the Bruins’ games and practices. While he took the past year off from coaching, he might look to get back on the sidelines after recently interviewing for the Chargers and Tennessee Titans’ head coaching jobs.

Ikaika Malloe

Malloe was elevated to defensive coordinator in early January after spending the past two seasons working with the defensive line. He helped rally the Bruins in the second half in his first glimpse as the interim defensive coordinator for the LA Bowl. Malloe, 49, could be considered if the Bruins want to help keep members of the current roster intact. Former UCLA edge rusher Carl Jones Jr. spoke highly of Malloe’s energy and passion since his arrival in Westwood.

Eric Bieniemy

The former Bishop Amat star running back was relieved of his duties as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator after the team fired head coach Ron Rivera. Bieniemy, 54, is no stranger to Westwood, having served as a running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2003-2005. Bieniemy made a name for himself in recent years as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.

P.J. Fleck

The Minnesota coach, 43, is considered a high-energy program builder who would certainly seem like a dramatic personality shift. A former NFL assistant, he led Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl to cap a 13-0 season in 2016 and parlayed that into his current job, where he has led the Golden Gophers to at least nine wins three times with bowl appearances in five out of seven seasons. He guided Minnesota to the Big Ten title game in 2019 and certainly knows the Big Ten landscape.

Brennan Marion

Marion spent the past season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UNLV under coach Barry Odom. Marion, 36, falls in line with the players’ request for a younger and more relatable coach. Marion has been held in high regard as an assistant and for his innovative ideas on offense. He was previously the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Texas in 2022.

Chris Petersen

Petersen, 59, stepped down as Washington’s head coach in 2019 and has since served as a studio analyst for Fox Sports. After going 92-12 in eight seasons at Boise State and 55-26 in six seasons coaching the Huskies, Petersen is familiar with California’s college football scene, having recruited the area throughout his coaching career.

But sometimes they leave – and Chip Kelly is outta here.

And the marching band plays “Hallelujah.”

Fed-up Bruins fans were fired up Friday when they learned that Kelly had finally found an out after weeks of less-than-secretive interviews elsewhere.

Kelly’s UCLA tenure was capped by a win in the L.A. Bowl, but before that, by late-season losses to Arizona, Arizona State and Cal. By five-star freshman quarterback Dante Moore’s transfer to Oregon. By an exodus of coaches, including first-year star defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to USC. Also, by much of the Bruins fan base making it clear Kelly wasn’t wanted, including flying a banner plane over practice indicating as much.

Plane flying over Wasserman Center with a banner that reads: Read The Room: Fire Chip Kelly. pic.twitter.com/Jet0YtHYLs

— Bruin Report Online (@BruinReport) November 28, 2023

In the end, he accepted a demotion in the form of the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State, walking away from a $6 million salary to coach under his longtime pal Ryan Day.

And how thrilled were Bruins supporters by the news? So very, even though Kelly’s departure comes at a rotten time, just months – actually 174 days, according to Athletic Director Martin Jarmond’s countdown – before the Bruins’ first foray into the Big Ten.

How thrilled? Incredibly, never mind that it’s finally happening as the coaching candidate carousel has slowed to a crawl, Kelly’s eventual repayment for the public support shown to him by Jarmond and other UCLA decision-makers.

How enthused? Mightily, never mind how poorly it portrays UCLA’s football program or the fact that every Bruins player will now have a 30-day window, regardless of transfer history, to consider bolting for what he believes could be a better situation.

Take all those issues into account and still, UCLA fans are elated to be moving on. That’s how much they didn’t like the guy who failed to inspire them in his six seasons, winning when he really had to (say, that 38-20 victory over the Trojans in November), but not nearly often enough otherwise, finishing a mediocre 35-34 overall and leaving the Bruins the worst-ranked recruiting class in program history as a parting gift.

Elated, and annoyed. Because better-late-than-never and what-took-you-so-long are different sides of the same coin.

There is this: Instead of paying Kelly the reported $8.5 million buyout had they fired him before the end of last year, or a $4.5 million buyout this year, he’ll owe UCLA $1.5 million – to be covered, reportedly, by Ohio State.

That, at least, is some good news if you’re an athletic department that’s reportedly posted a $36.6 million deficit, according to the L.A. Times.

Jarmond insisted that there would be more good news soon. On a Zoom call with reporters on Friday afternoon, he promised to move swiftly in naming a new head coach, ideally on a permanent basis but possibly in the interim, and said he asked players to give him 96 hours to identify a new leader before they make any decisions about their college playing careers.

It helped, actually, that Kelly was flirting openly with other jobs; it allowed Jarmond a head start: After reports that Kelly interviewed to be the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders, no, Jarmond said, “we were not caught off guard. We were ready and we’re prepared.”

Even though so many potentially viable candidates are off the board already – including Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith, a Pasadena native, who landed at Michigan State; Jedd Fisch, who went from Arizona to Washington, and San Jose State’s Brent Brennan, a former Bruin, who took Fisch’s place – Jarmond at least had a search party assembled and a checklist drawn up when Kelly called him Friday morning to resign.

UCLA’s wanted ad, as Jarmond described it, would read like this:

Bruins Head Football Coach Job Description

We are looking for a passionate and energetic head coach who can relate with players and function as a modern college athletics CEO. In this position, you will lead UCLA football into the Big Ten Conference while enhancing the program’s NIL fundraising portfolio and developing young men into leaders.

Requirements and qualifications

• Integrity

• Fundraising

• Recruiting

• Compete hungrily

• Respect and appreciate those “four letters” (UCLA)

• Head coaching experience not necessary

• Relate with athletes

The athletes added that last part, but let me add some of my own.

• undaunted

• miracle-worker

Because another way one might read Kelly’s departure is as a sign that UCLA is going to have a heck of a time competing with its new Big Ten brethren.

The Bruins almost certainly will be at a fundraising disadvantage against programs with larger and more rabid fan bases, that support so crucial in this constantly shifting modern era of college sports. The Bruins also will have to travel farther. And their home games at the Rose Bowl are probably going to feel like road games a lot of the time.

Oh, and they’ll have to overcome all of that while playing catchup on account of the current predicament – while satisfying fans who have made it clear: They won’t take .500 for an answer.

But, hey, there is talent abound in Southern California. And the weather is (usually) good here, if you can tolerate some earthquaking.

And somewhere out there is a football coach who thinks all of that sounds awesome, who will see it as a super opportunity, a ladder to new heights. Jarmond is sure of it.

“When you have chaos, there’s an opportunity to move forward and lead, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “The one thing I do know is this is a great place. UCLA is a great opportunity. Those young men are unbelievable and this is a great time for us and our program as we get ready to enter the Big Ten.”

Inside the most hostile of environments on Wednesday night at Cal’s Haas Pavilion, a packed gym jeering like a cage match and booing Bronny James every single time he touched the ball, this USC basketball team somehow managed to string together enough stops and Isaiah Collier drives to flip a 15-point deficit into an overtime battle. They rarely quit on games, and players and coaches have stuck around long after the close of practices for pow-wows to try to figure out what’s gone wrong; for bickering over playing time and Boogie Ellis’ comments that this team needed to “have some more pride,” they have still battled through the nightmare.

On the other hand, they are fatally raw. This can’t be understated. There was a stretch, in that second-half comeback against Cal, when Bronny James missed two free throws, USC got a stop, then Kobe Johnson missed quite literally a point-blank uncontested layup, then USC got another stop, and then Johnson missed two free throws. They continue to be dominated on the glass; James, at a generous 6-foot-4, led the Trojans with five rebounds. They continue to leave points at the line; they shoot 70% as a group.

“It’s frustrating,” Enfield said afterward, when asked about the inconsistency of a Trojans team (9-14 overall, 3-9 and last place in the Pac-12) that competes is its own worst enemy at times.

“When you say, how do you fight through it, or how do you prepare – our guys, their attitudes have been great,” Enfield said, later, to another question. “I mean, they wanted to win this game. They fought. In the locker room afterward, they were very upset that we lost the game, and I think they’re going to come out Saturday and play as hard as they can.”

There is desperately little time – eight games, starting with Stanford (11-11, 6-6) on Saturday night, and a Pac-12 tournament – to make something of this Jekyll-and-Hyde group. And that trip to Las Vegas, in March, is the absolute last chance this USC team has to make the NCAA tournament, an expected goal before the start of the season. When asked after the loss to Cal, Collier said he still felt the group could win the conference tournament, because what else could he say, really?

Except he actually seemed to mean it.

“I feel like this game is a huge lesson for us,” Collier said.

Squint, very narrowly, and there’s a non-zero chance. Collier and Ellis are back healthy, and USC has its full roster available for what seems like the first time all year. If USC beats Washington in March to finish as the 10th seed for the Pac-12 tourney, the Trojans would most likely play a team like Stanford or Cal in the first round, assuming current standings continue somewhat close to form. Win that game, and they’d play the No. 2 seed in the next round, most likely Washington State or Oregon. The Pac-12 is incredibly middle-heavy in this final season, and USC could conceivably not have to face Arizona – easily the best team in the conference – until the tournament championship.

“This is college sports,” Enfield said after the loss to Cal. “You don’t win every game. You gotta fight through the adversity.”

USC AT STANFORD

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Maples Pavilion, Stanford

TV/radio: ESPNU/790 AM

After six seasons in Westwood, Kelly was hired away to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Friday evening.

The veteran head coach was said to be emotional while talking with players during a meeting Friday as he explained his decision to leave. An interim coach has not been named.

UCLA has started a national search for a new head coach. Athletic Director Martin Jarmond has asked the players for a 96-hour window before making any decisions to transfer from the university.

“Timing is a challenge,” Jarmond said. “I’ll be honest, timing is a challenge, but any time you go through a change or a search, there’s never a good time. That’s life. So we aren’t going to focus on that, we’re going to focus on doing what we need to do to get the next leader of this program.”

Erin Adkins, Christina Munger-Rivera and Josh Rebholz are among the executive team members who will assist Jarmond with the coaching search.

The athletic director told reporters that the university was not caught off guard and was ready to move forward with its coaching search after he received a call from Kelly on Friday morning about his intentions to leave his post. Kelly had interviewed for multiple NFL offensive coordinator jobs over the last two weeks.

Jarmond also expressed confidence that the university will do well with its search for the next head coach, despite being the only program in the sport that will have a search going on while the bulk of the college coaching job cycle already settled down.

The roster could take a significant hit with all players now having a 30-day window to transfer out of the school and find another university to continue their careers, but with the timing of the opening, the players could also be faced with limited options. The Bruins were expecting to see several players return for the 2024 season, including quarterback Ethan Garbers, receiver J.Michael Sturdivant and linebacker Kain Medrano among others.

The Bruins will join the Big Ten Conference for the 2024 season with an unfavorable schedule that features a nonconference game against LSU before playing Oregon, Penn State, Washington and USC and now they have a vacancy at the top just as programs are beginning to gear up for spring practices.

Several UCLA running backs, including starting running back TJ Harden, have shared posts on social media asking for DeShaun Foster to become the head coach.

Foster is a former player and running backs coach for the program, who took a job as the Las Vegas Raiders’ running backs coach earlier this month. He was promoted to associate head coach before the 2023 season by Kelly.

“The qualities I’m looking for: First, we want a person of integrity. We do things the right way here at UCLA. We don’t cut corners. We do it right,” Jarmond explained. “This is a tough job being a football head coach, nowadays in this world you need a CEO who embraces all aspects of a successful program. That’s NIL. That’s recruiting. That’s donor relations. That’s the development of young people. It’s all of that.”

Jarmond stated he spoke to the players soon after the coach did and mentioned that the program’s culture is important and that the players share similar qualities they look for in their next coach.

“One of the things that the young men mentioned was they wanted someone that can relate to them,” Jarmond said. “That relates to them not only as a football player, but a young man off the field. They want someone that they can talk to and connect with. That’s important to them.”

Jarmond also confirmed that Kelly must pay UCLA a $1.5 million buyout. Kelly’s decision to pursue an opportunity at Ohio State will reunite him with head coach Ryan Day and Justin Frye, the associate head coach for the offense.

Day hired former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator last month, but O’Brien is now heading to Boston College to become the Eagles’ head coach.

Day played quarterback at New Hampshire with Kelly as his offensive coordinator from 1999 to 2001. Kelly went on to become the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and hired Day as his quarterbacks coach in 2015. Day also followed Kelly to San Francisco where both held the same positions for the 49ers. Day and Kelly were on a golf course together when they found out that the Bruins would be joining the Big Ten in June 2022.

“We are extremely excited to have Chip and his wife, Jill, joining our program,” Day said in a statement. “His experience as a head coach at Oregon, UCLA and in the NFL will bring immediate value to our entire team. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with Chip, introducing him to our staff and team and chasing a championship together.”

Frye was Kelly’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at UCLA before leaving for a job with the Buckeyes in 2022.

Kelly finishes his UCLA tenure with a 35-34 overall record (26-26 in Pac-12 play). The Bruins were 6-12 against teams ranked in the Top 25 with Kelly at the helm and were bowl-eligible just three times during his tenure.

“Can’t thank Coach Kelly enough for taking a shot on a tall, skinny walk-on receiver,” UCLA tight end Hudson Habermehl posted on social media. “Congrats on the new beginning. Forever thankful for all you have done for me!”

The Bruins (8-5 overall, 4-5 Pac-12) finished the 2023 regular season losing three of their last four conference games, with the only victory coming in a rout of crosstown rival USC. In December, the Bruins used a strong third-quarter effort to beat Boise State in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. There was speculation late in the regular season that UCLA might move on from Kelly, but the school stood pat.

Instead, it was Kelly who started looking for other options, finally making the unorthodox move of giving up a Power Five head coaching job to become coordinator at another Power Five school.

Kelly is one of the godfathers of the up-tempo, spread offense that dominated college football in the early 2010s. He became Oregon’s coach in 2009 and went 46-7 over four years before jumping to the NFL. He went 26-21 in a little less than three full seasons (2013-15) in Philadelphia and then spent one season as coach of the 49ers, going 2-14.

Kelly took over at UCLA after Jim Mora Jr. was fired in 2017 and had a roster predominantly filled with underclassmen his first two seasons.

It was a slow build. Kelly started with three straight losing seasons at UCLA before finally turning it around in 2021 and going 8-4. The Bruins went 25-13 over the past three seasons, but they could never crack nine wins and tended to fade late in the season.

They were expected to contend for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game last season, especially since they didn’t have to face Washington and Oregon. Under coordinator D’Anton Lynn, UCLA put together one of the best defensive seasons in school history as it led the nation in stopping the run. But Lynn was in Westwood for only one season before jumping to rival USC.

The coaching search begins while the university continues its search for a new chancellor. Gene Block has served as UCLA’s chancellor since 2007 but is set to retire at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.

In recent months, other college football programs, such as Washington and Arizona, also dealt with sudden coaching changes and managed to quickly hire their next coaches.

UCLA will be asked to do the same to provide a sense of direction for the players and staff that remain in Westwood.

“We’re looking for a leader, permanently for our program,” Jarmond said. “I told the team to give us 96 hours. Could be earlier, could be later. But we’re going to move fast. That’s the priority.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

The Bruins, who have won six of their last seven games, will be seeking redemption after losing to Cal, 66-57, on Jan. 6 at Pauley Pavilion. Since that loss, UCLA is 6-2 and has moved ahead of Cal in the Pac-12 standings, into a tie for fourth place with Colorado. A top-four finish would provide UCLA a coveted bye into the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament next month in Las Vegas.

Here’s what you need to know about the key Pac-12 matchup:

UCLA AT CAL

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley

TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/1150 AM

Records: UCLA is 12-11 overall, 7-5 in Pac-12 play; Cal is 10-10, 6-6

UCLA’s latest result: The Bruins are coming off an 82-74 victory at Stanford on Wednesday, their highest scoring output this season. Freshman guard Sebastian Mack, the team’s leading scorer this season, finished with a game-high 21 points, shooting 4 for 7 from 3-point range. UCLA made a season-high 11 3-pointers at a 44% clip on 25 attempts. Five Bruins joined Mack in scoring in double-figures: sophomore forward Adem Bona (16 points, eight rebounds), sophomore guard Dylan Andrews (13 points, four assists), sophomore guard Will McClendon (career-high 13 points), and junior guard Lazar Stefanovic (10 points, seven rebounds).

Cal’s latest result: The Golden Bears blew a 16-point lead in the second half at home but regrouped to pull out an 83-77 overtime victory against USC on Wednesday. Cal had four players score in double figures. Junior guard Jaylon Tyson had a double-double with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Jalen Cone scored 20 points. Senior forward Fardaws Aimaq had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 20 rebounds. Junior guard Jalen Celestine netted six of his 11 points in overtime.

Matchups to watch: Bona vs. Aimaq, in particular when it comes to rebounding. The 6-foot-11 Aimaq led the Golden Bears with 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end against USC, as Cal outrebounded USC 54-27. By comparison, the Bruins outrebounded USC 43-29 on Jan. 27, a sizable part of their 65-50 crosstown victory that began the team’s current four-game winning streak. Throughout the season, rebounding has been a collective effort for UCLA, led by the 6-foot-10 Bona and the 6-7 Stefanovic.

UCLA trends to watch: The Bruins will play three of their last eight regular-season games on the road, including Saturday’s game at Cal. UCLA is 4-4 in true road games this season.

Meanwhile, the defense has been the heart of the Bruins’ identity during the five-year tenure of Coach Mick Cronin. UCLA is 10-3 this season when holding its opponents to less than 65 points.

The Anteaters (18-6 overall, 11-1 Big West) shot 53.2% from the field, including a blistering 63.6% in the second half, to defeat UC Santa Barbara, 76-61, on Thursday night at the Thunderdome.

Devin Tillis had 13 points, Derin Saran scored 11 and Andre Henry added 10 for UCI, which outscored UCSB 44-24 in the paint and had a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points. Carter Welling added seven points and a career-high eight rebounds.

Ajay Mitchell had 17 points to pace the Gauchos (13-9, 6-6), while Cole Anderson added 16. Josh Pierre-Louis finished with 12 points and three steals.

The Anteaters actually struggled from the field early, missing eight of their first 10 shots as the Gauchos opened a 13-5 lead. A Saran 3-pointer helped settle things, and Crockrell made four consecutive jumpers, the last one a turnaround bank shot to give UCI a 21-16 lead. The Anteaters led by 10 late in the half and took a 33-24 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

A Henry jumper and a Tillis layup kickstarted things for UCI in the second half, then a Justin Hohn jumper and a Welling dunk started a 10-2 run that pushed the margin to 20 points (52-32) with 13:48 remaining. A Tillis jumper gave the Anteaters their largest lead of the night at 60-36 midway through the second half.

UCSB used a 7-0 run to get within 70-57 before a Henry layup with 3:07 left stopped the momentum and UCI coasted across the finish line from there.

UP NEXT

UCI plays at UC Riverside on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Square shot 7 for 8 from the field and 5 for 7 from the free-throw line, but he was one of few bright spots on a night when the Titans (11-12 overall, 4-7 Big West) shot just 35.6% overall (21 for 59). Max Jones added eight points on 3-for-11 shooting, while DJ Brewton had six points on 3-for-14 shooting to go with six rebounds. Fullerton shot 3 for 17 from 3-point range and 13 for 22 from the foul line and finished with just five assists.

Elijah Pepper had 19 points, five rebounds and four steals to pace UC Davis (15-8, 10-2). Ty Johnson added 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while Kane Milling and Pablo Tamba each added nine points. The Aggies had 22 turnovers compared to just 13 for Fullerton, but the hosts shot a far more efficient 57.4% from the field (27 for 47) and had a 38-27 rebounding advantage.

Fullerton fell behind by double digits quickly, trailing 15-5 before Jones hit a 3-pointer from the right wing. Jones had 10 points in the first half, but the Titans trailed 36-25 at halftime.

Fullerton briefly cuts its deficit to single digits, but the Aggies went on a 10-0 run to open a 50-31 advantage with 13:57 left.

Tory San Antonio and Jones hit 3-pointers to help the Titans get within 56-41 midway through the second half, but UC Davis pushed its lead to 22 with eight minutes left and cruised to the win. Fullerton scored the last eight points of the game.

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Fullerton plays at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday at 1 p.m.