This post was updated March 5 at 11:51 p.m.

Saturday was supposed to be a day of celebration for the Bruins. 

But they now have reason to worry heading into the postseason. 

No. 4 UCLA men’s basketball (27-4, 18-2 Pac-12) defeated No. 8 Arizona (25-6, 14-6) by a score of 82-73 on Saturday night in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins finalized their first perfect home record since the 2006-2007 season and punctuated their Pac-12 regular-season title with the win. 

During the victory, however, junior guard Jaylen Clark left the game early with what appeared to be a significant lower leg injury midway through the second half.

“If he’s not OK, I would feel tragically for him because he’s a family member to us,” said coach Mick Cronin. “It’s a blow if he’s out.”

The Bruins held a 48-37 lead after a Clark steal and layup with 17:53 left in the second half. On his backpedal down the court, Clark grabbed at his lower leg before limping heavily toward the UCLA bench. Clark eventually collapsed into the arms of assistant coach Rod Palmer before being helped into the locker room, putting minimal weight on the leg.

Clark eventually returned to the UCLA bench in street clothes and a walking boot while on crutches. He left the game with 11 points and a team-high four steals. His +17 plus/minus also led the team despite Clark not playing the final 17 minutes. 

“He’ll have an MRI tomorrow (Sunday), and we’ll deal with it then,” Cronin said. “We don’t have an MRI machine back in the locker room.”

Cronin pointed to redshirt freshman guard Will McClendon and freshman guard Dylan Andrews as potential Clark replacements if he misses time in the postseason. 

“We’ll just evaluate it tomorrow (Sunday),” said fifth-year guard David Singleton.

Meanwhile, a once-raucous Pauley Pavilion crowd seemed to lull into a low hum in the moments after Clark’s injury, and Arizona was able to capitalize on UCLA’s lacking energy. The Wildcats scored five unanswered points after the timeout to make it 48-42.  

The Bruins, though, eventually got the home crowd back on its feet and put the game away. 

“I’ve never been on a team where I felt so confident in my guys,” said senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. “If we need to get a stop, we’re going to get a stop.”

Freshman forward Adem Bona made Pauley Pavilion buzz with an and-one putback that stretched the advantage to nine. Bona boisterously blocked shots on the next two possessions that made the crowd roar even louder. 

But it was Jaquez – playing his last game in Pauley Pavilion – who truly brought the house down in the second half. 

“I didn’t think they (the seniors) would let us lose today,” Cronin said. “It’s hard to go win against a real team on senior day.”

Jaquez drew oohs and aahs from the crowd after drawing his defender in the air and stepping in on a 20-foot jumper for a three-point play to give UCLA a 14-point advantage. A few plays later, Jaquez found himself alone in transition and threw down a monstrous two-handed slam.  

He slammed the door shut in the final minutes. 

McClendon’s effort on a loose ball left Jaquez alone again with no one between him and the basket. Jaquez took his time and moseyed his way to the basket, perhaps knowing it’d be his final field goal in Pauley Pavilion. He elevated for a layup, and thousands of UCLA fans elevated off their seats along with him – a final cheer for Jaquez’s career in Westwood. 

“We did it,” Jaquez said. “We did the regular season part. We accomplished what we accomplished, … and now we’re going on to the next half of this (season).”

With 32 seconds left on the clock, Cronin subbed out Jaquez – along with redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell and Singleton – to a standing ovation.

Jaquez finished with a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis – thought to be Jaquez’s competitor for Pac-12 Player of the Year – also had a double-double, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

“He (Jaquez) should be the Pac-12 Player of the Year,” Singleton said. “He’s an amazing player, amazing person. He just does it all.”

It’s now a waiting game for the Bruins, both for Pac-12 accolades and for Clark’s MRI results.