For the season’s first month, Skyy Clark did things that pleased his coach and quietly helped win games.
On Saturday, his contributions moved to the forefront of a thrilling comeback.
Clark calmly made two free throws with 6.1 seconds left during No. 24 UCLA’s 57-54 victory over Arizona at the Footprint Center, a fitting bookend to the junior guard’s best performance as a Bruin.
The transfer from Louisville broke out of a seasonlong shooting slump, making his first three three-pointers after entering the game having made only six of 22 tries (27.3%) from long range. He made five of nine shots overall on the way to a season-high 15 points, the first time he reached double figures this season.
Clark also had a steadying influence on the offense on a day that point guard Dylan Andrews finished with three turnovers and no assists. Clark’s effort to chase down a rebound in the corner before being fouled was critical with the Bruins holding a one-point lead in the final seconds.
“Skyy made a great play on the offensive rebound and [was] smart enough to dribble it out,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said after his team improved to 9-1. “He’s probably our smartest player.”
Might Clark need to be more involved in running UCLA’s offense? Here are five takeaways from the Bruins’ eighth consecutive victory:
