This post was updated Feb. 5 at 12:17 a.m.

The stars were out at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. 

Not to be confused with the blue glow sticks that littered the stands. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson – two NBA legends who made names for themselves in Los Angeles – came to Westwood representing their respective alma maters. The latter adorned a green Spartans hoodie while the former was clad in blue and gold. 

But by the end of the affair, it’d seem the Spartans just didn’t have enough magic. 

After clawing back from an 11-point deficit, No. 9 Michigan State (18-4, 9-2 Big Ten) stood a 3-pointer away from taking the affair. But the sound of guard Jaden Akins’ shot ricocheting off the rim in the match’s final seconds signaled UCLA men’s basketball’s (17-6, 8-4) victory by a score of 63-61. 

“I told Dan Guerrero (former UCLA Athletic Director) when I was being interviewed that I thought that if I could get a job like UCLA, I could build a program like Michigan State,” said coach Mick Cronin. “I’ve looked up to him (Michigan State coach Tom Izzo) for a long, long, long time.” 

The Spartans tied the game with 7:09 left in the second half, setting off a stretch of four lead changes. Senior guard Lazar Stefanovic hit a wide-open 3-pointer to give UCLA the lead with 2:50 left, but Michigan State tied the game 45 seconds later. 

It’d be Eric Dailey Jr. to deliver the true dagger. 

“He didn’t have the best night, but I have a lot of confidence in him,” Cronin said. 

With under 10 seconds left, the sophomore guard/forward – who had just seven points on the night – crashed the net, tumbling against defenders as he launched his shot off the backboard and into the basket. 

“Definitely a highlight moment in my career,” Dailey said. “Just seeing two legends that played the game before me. … It was a big shot. I just thank my teammates for just trusting me.” 

The Spartans, who rebound the second most in the Big Ten, outrebounded the Bruins 45-27. However, Michigan State’s 16 turnovers – compared to UCLA’s three – essentially muted the advantage. 

The story of the game was points off turnovers, Cronin said. The Bruins had 19, the Spartans just four. 

While it was a slow offensive night for both teams – UCLA shooting just 35% from the field and Michigan State 37.7% – the Bruins managed to get seven more shots off, six of which were from beyond the arc. 

“We were definitely struggling offensively there, but I think it just shows our whole team a lot of toughness,” said junior guard Tyler Bilodeau. “We knew shots weren’t falling, so we had to get stops.”

The Spartans sprung out to two separate seven-point leads in the first half, but thanks in large part to junior guard Skyy Clark’s 13 first-half points, the Bruins found themselves up seven at halftime. 

With the help of Bilodeau, who delivered eight of his 13 points in the second half, UCLA grew its lead to 11 with just over 15 minutes left to play. 

The Bruins have gone undefeated since returning from the East Coast on Jan. 13. 

“They lost four in a row and were pronounced dead,” Izzo said. “He’s (Cronin has) won six in a row now. Better hope he keeps yelling.”