UCLA followed up a clutch defensive play in the final seconds against Stanford on Saturday with a cringeworthy game-ending defensive lapse as the shorthanded Cardinal handed the No. 24 Bruins a 73-72 overtime defeat in dramatic fashion. Oscar Da Silva, the Pac-12's leading scorer, inexplicably broke wide open down the lane on an out-of-bounds play with 0.8 seconds left and scored a layup at the final buzzer for Stanford (9-5, 5-3 Pac-12).
The loss was UCLA's first league defeat of the season, and came after the Bruins (12-3, 8-1) took a 72-71 lead with five seconds left in the overtime period on a Tyger Campbell and-1 layup. Stanford freshman guard Michael O'Connell fouled Campbell on the shot attempt, and at the time it appeared as though O'Connell's foul might be a fatal defensive error.
Stanford had no timeouts left after Campbell converted the 3-point play, forcing Jaiden Delaire to hurriedly hoist a potential game-winning floater for the Cardinal that UCLA's Jalen Hill swatted out of bounds. For a moment, it appeared as though Hill's emphatic rejection would be the game's final play.
But it turned out that 0.8 seconds remained on the clock, affording Stanford a final chance to inbound the ball from under the basket the ball and get a shot up. Somehow, Da Silva broke free and O'Connell redeemed himself with a perfect pass to set up the buzzer-beating shot.
‼️ CARD WINS AT THE BUZZER ‼️#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/2F7I8ET6kK
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) January 24, 2021
Da Silva finished with 26 points, and the Cardinal needed every bit of the senior forward's effort as they played without starters Ziaire Williams, Daejon Davis and Bryce Willis. Without those key players, Da Silva and O'Connell played 41 minutes each. UCLA was led by 27 points from Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang.
