UCLA edges No. 9 Michigan State 63-61 in front of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Eric Dailey Jr. scored the go-ahead basket over two defenders with 7 seconds left, lifting UCLA to a hard-fought 63-61 victory against No. 9 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

Skyy Clark scored 14 points and Tyler Bilodeau added 13 for the Bruins (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten), who won their sixth in a row and fifth against a ranked team.

Jaden Akins’ potential game-winning 3-pointer bounced off the front of the rim as time expired and he bent over in agony. Hall of Famer and Michigan State alum Magic Johnson was on his feet for the final seconds.

Akins led the Spartans (18-4, 9-2) with 15 points, their only double-figure scorer.

The game was tied three times in the final seven minutes after the Bruins blew an 11-point lead in front of alum and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Tied 61-61, Jaxon Kohler missed in the lane, grabbed his offensive rebound and got called for traveling with 23 seconds left.

Takeaways

Michigan State: The Spartans got swept in their LA visit, having lost 70-64 at USC to end their 13-game winning streak. Once again, they struggled offensively and their 3-point shooting continues to be spotty.

UCLA: The Bruins improved to 6-1 in games decided by five points or fewer. They improved to 12-1 at home.

Key moment

UCLA’s Lazar Stefanovic hit a 3-pointer for a 61-59 lead before Kohler tied it. Bilodeau and Aday Mara both missed, but the Spartans turned the ball over on a shot-clock violation with 1:13 left.

Key stat

The Bruins were 0-of-10 during a seven-and-a-half minute stretch when they were outscored 13-4 and the Spartans led 59-58.

Up next

Michigan State hosts Oregon on Saturday. UCLA hosts Penn State on Saturday to complete a three-game homestand.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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