UCLA and Gonzaga have produced some spirited battles on the hardwood throughout their histories. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs have had the Bruins’ number for much of that series.

On Saturday, the two premier hoops programs met in a nonconference matchup in Inglewood’s Intuit Dome. And UCLA entered with a string of heartbreaks, losing 4 straight to Gonzaga and holding a 2-7 overall record against the Bulldogs.

Those recent defeats have occurred at various stages of the season. In 2021, Gonzaga beat UCLA in a legendary Final Four matchup, and the Bulldogs also prevailed in a Sweet 16 during the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

But this time, the Bruins would get the last laugh, and it came with a dramatic final sequence. With the game tied at 60-all and inside a minute, Sebastian Mack drove for a tie-breaking and-1.

Replays made it look like it was actually Mack’s elbow that connected with the Gonzaga defender at the rim, but officials did not review the call. Instead, he made the ensuing free throw for a 63-60 lead.

Gonzaga would not go quietly with Ryan Nembhard going coast-to-coast and registering his own and-1 with Mack committing the foul with 8 seconds to play. However, Nembhard would miss the game-tying free throw.

Skyy Clark would drain a pair of free throws before a final heave from Gonzaga was no good, giving the Bruins a 65-62 win.

Eric Dailey Jr. was the leader offensively for the Bruins with 18 points on a 4-for-5 shooting night from 3-point range to go with 4 steals. Clark was also impressively balanced with 11 poitns, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the hard-fought win.

UCLA is now 11-2 on the young season and has rebounded from both of its losses in impressive fashion. The Bruins will resume Big Ten play on Jan. 4 as 1 of 3 teams in the league to start the slate 2-0.