This post was updated Dec. 17 at 7:03 p.m. 

NEW YORK —  Under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, a sea of Wildcat blue engulfed the arena. 

The crowd roared, as what was once a double-digit lead for the Bruins shrunk to a tie with 15 minutes left in the game.

No. 16 UCLA men’s basketball (10-2, 2-0 Pac-12) did just enough to hang onto its lead, however, and trailed for just over one minute all night in a 63-53 victory over No. 13 Kentucky (7-3) in New York City on Saturday evening. The tight contest saw 34 combined fouls and a slight 43-42 edge on the boards for the blue and gold, as it claimed its highest-ranked win of the year to finish off a perfect East Coast road trip. 

“They’re so big around the rim, so athletic on the wings, the game becomes a rock fight, a bloodbath,” said coach Mick Cronin. “It’s just hard to get buckets, man. You’ve got to be hard to score on. We’ve gotten to a point where our guys are embracing that.”

Junior guard Jaylen Clark added to his season steals total less than 30 seconds into the game, hitting freshman guard Amari Bailey for a fast break layup to get things started. Both sides worked to attack the paint early and often, leading to some physicality from the get-go. 

An early 3-pointer from fifth-year guard David Singleton marked one of just four long-range tries for UCLA through 20 minutes of play, as the presence of Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe – who tallied three blocks in the first half – did not deter the Bruins from challenging inside.

On the other end, senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and freshman forward Adem Bona each quickly recorded a swat of their own. Bodies sprawled on the floor more than a few times, as the blue and gold’s defensive intensity limited the Wildcats to 11-of-31 shooting from the field and 12 turnovers in the opening period.

Tshiebwe – the reigning National Player of the Year – still made his presence known, reeling in five offensive boards and nine total rebounds in the first half. Tshiebwe finished the night with 16 total boards in addition to three blocks while forcing the Bruins’ big men into foul trouble all night. However, Tshiebwe himself was limited to eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. 

Jaquez said one of the points of emphasis coming in was to contain Tshiebwe as much as possible, and he gave some praise for the Bruin big men who were able to do so throughout the contest.

“Big Oscar, that man’s a tank,” Jaquez said. “Seeing him play is different from when you actually play him. I just wanted to shout out our big men Kenny (redshirt senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba), Mac (redshirt freshman forward Mac Etienne) and Adem. I thought they played tremendous.”

After giving up a 9-2 run late in the first half, however, as UCLA’s offense stagnated, Jaquez was able to convert a putback off a prayer from Clark with seconds remaining, and the blue and gold entered halftime holding a 35-27 lead.

The physicality continued out of the break, as Jaquez lost the ball in a scuffle following a second-chance 3-pointer from guard Sahvir Wheeler. Both the Bruin and Wildcat faithful came alive as both teams hustled for offensive rebounds and continued to draw fouls.

Kentucky was able to tie it up for the first time since early in the first half five minutes into the second period, but redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell responded with a jumper while Jaquez answered a Tshiebwe bucket to keep UCLA’s opponent at bay. 

Jaquez finished his night with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while compiling four steals for the second straight game. Clark was also able to nab four steals for the third straight contest for a team total of 11 on Saturday. 

Jaquez said he had this game circled since it was scheduled and added that he was glad his team pulled out the win while he could check playing in Madison Square Garden off his bucket list.

“The city’s amazing – every time I come, it’s always an adventure,” Jaquez said. “MSG is something I’ve always wanted to be a part of, always wanted to play in. I was excited, ready to go, ready to play, and I’m so happy we won here.”

The Bruins quickly regained the lead and did just enough to hang onto that lead, maintaining their intensity on the boards while answering every basket with one of their own. Bona stuffed Tshiebwe on a second-chance opportunity but checked out after just two minutes after picking up his fourth foul, with UCLA’s lead sitting at 54-48. Bona was limited to just 12 minutes of play and without a shot attempt while committing four fouls. 

Redshirt freshman forward Mac Etienne, however, was able to draw a foul on Tshiebwe during a battle for a rebound before denying the Kentucky forward’s layup on the other end. The Wildcats were held scoreless for the final 4:31 of the game as they saw their comeback efforts slip away.

Kentucky converted just 5-of-13 shots from the free throw line in the game while misfiring on its last 11 shots. Wildcats coach John Calipari said it was demoralizing for his team to see its opportunities slip away.

“When they started bullying us a bit, the game slipped,” Calipari said. “The only way you can learn about your team mentally and physically is in games like this, where you just get physically beat and learn.”

After two field goals from Campbell, Clark slammed in a fast break dunk to put the nail in the coffin and finish off the win for the Bruins over a fellow blue blood. But despite the perfect road trip, Cronin said the team is eager to head back home for the holidays and escape the cold.

“We’re looking forward to getting home, it’s going to be 75 on Christmas,” Cronin said. “That’s my recruiting spiel.”