No. 22 UCLA hosts North Florida in home opener after Arizona win
Fresh off of a season-opening win over fifth-ranked rival Arizona, No. 22 UCLA Bruins makes its home debut on Friday when North Florida Ospreys visits Los Angeles.
UCLA (1-0) held off a late surge to close Monday's opener in Las Vegas, outscoring Arizona 13-5 down the stretch of an 84-75 win.
"Our team just doesn't quit," Bruins guard Jaylen Petty said following the contest. "Like coach (Mick Cronin) said, we all have great attitudes. We all want to win and come together, and that's what we're going to do."
Petty, who dished a game-high seven assists, is among the prominent newcomers joining a solid returning corps for UCLA. Petty averaged 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and made 69 3-pointers last season at Texas Tech.
Fellow offseason addition and blue-chip prep recruit Joe Philon III knocked down a 3-pointer and scored seven points to kick off the campaign.
Meanwhile, UCLA's key returners -- Trent Perry and Eric Dailey Jr. -- led the way in scoring with 21 and 13 points. Xavier Booker was limited to 13 minutes, but nailed a critical triple to begin the end-of-game push.
UCLA now opens Pauley Pavilion for the season with a signature win already to its credit and a solid foundation as the nonconference schedule unfolds.
"When you can get a quality win, learn some things, and get valuable film to teach from, that's important," Cronin said.
The Bruins are the first of back-to-back top 25-ranked opponents for North Florida (1-0), with the Miami Hurricanes next on their schedule come Nov. 9.
UCLA is also the second 2026 NCAA Tournament team from southern California that North Florida faces to open the campaign. The Ospreys tipped off their docket on Tuesday with a 71-63 win over California Baptist.
North Florida drew a much different roster than the final Western Athletic Conference champion Cal Baptist, which took Kansas to the limit in a wild March Madness matchup. Likewise, Tuesday introduced a fresh Ospreys roster, reflective of "the reality of the college basketball," as coach Bobby Kennen described before the season.
Three of the five North Florida scorers in double figures at Cal Baptist were making their Ospreys debut, including Mason Watkins, who finished with 13 points.
"We needed physicality, we needed athleticism, we needed versatility in the frontcourt," Kennen said of the program's offseason priorities. "Eddie (Placer, a transfer from Wagner), Mason, those guys can play three or four positions. I wanted to be able to play different ways."
Changes to the complexion of North Florida's lineup resulted in an effective offensive approach to start the season. The Ospreys shot almost 64% from inside the 3-point arc, and pushed the pace with possessions of less than 15 seconds on average per KenPom.com.
And while there are plenty of new faces, Kennen is not working with a completely overhauled lineup. North Florida retained 2025-26 standout Kent Jackson, who picked up right where he left off with 15 points. Jackson averaged 14.8 points for the Ospreys a season ago.
--Field Level Media
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Field Level Media. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Field Level Media is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | End of period | |||
| 0:00 | Mason Lee defensive rebound | |||
| 0:01 | Brandon Williams misses two point jump shot | |||
| 0:32 | Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | |||
| 0:34 | JR Bartelus misses two point jump shot | |||
| 0:41 | JR Bartelus defensive rebound | |||
| 0:43 | Jaylen Petty misses three point jump shot | |||
| 1:05 | +2 | JR Bartelus makes two point jump shot | 20-52 | |
| 1:11 | +1 | Nikola Kusturica makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-52 | |
| 1:11 | +1 | Nikola Kusturica makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-51 | |
| 1:11 | Isaiah Brown personal foul (Nikola Kusturica draws the foul) | |||
| 1:15 | Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | |||
| 1:17 | Mason Lee misses three point jump shot | |||
| 1:31 | Ospreys defensive rebound | |||
| 1:31 | Eric Dailey Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
| 1:31 | Kent Jackson shooting foul (Eric Dailey Jr. draws the foul) | |||
| 1:31 | +2 | Eric Dailey Jr. makes two point layup (Sergej Macura assists) | 18-50 | |
| 1:34 | Kent Jackson turnover (lost ball) (Sergej Macura steals) | |||
| 2:03 | Mason Watkins defensive rebound | |||
| 2:03 | Jaylen Petty misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
| 2:03 | Kent Jackson personal foul (Jaylen Petty draws the foul) | |||
| 2:03 | Jaylen Petty defensive rebound | |||
| 2:04 | Kent Jackson misses two point jump shot | |||
| 2:24 | +2 | Jaylen Petty makes two point jump shot | 18-48 | |
| 2:31 | Isaiah Brown turnover (lost ball) (Trent Perry steals) | |||
| 2:43 | +1 | Nikola Kusturica makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-46 | |
| 2:43 | +1 | Nikola Kusturica makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-45 | |
| 2:43 | Isaiah Brown personal foul (Nikola Kusturica draws the foul) | |||
| 2:43 | Isaiah Brown misses two point layup | |||
| 2:43 | Isaiah Brown offensive rebound | |||
| 2:45 | Elijah Elliott misses two point layup | |||
| 2:52 | +2 | Nikola Kusturica makes two point dunk | 18-44 | |
| 2:58 | Elijah Elliott turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Kusturica steals) | |||
| 3:21 | +2 | Nikola Kusturica makes two point jump shot | 18-42 | |
| 3:42 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 3:42 | Elijah Elliott misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 3:42 | Elijah Elliott misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 3:42 | Joe Philon III shooting foul (Elijah Elliott draws the foul) | |||
| 3:50 | +1 | Joe Philon III makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-40 | |
| 3:50 | +1 | Joe Philon III makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-39 | |
| 3:50 | TV timeout | |||
| 3:50 | BJ Plummer shooting foul (Joe Philon III draws the foul) | |||
| 3:55 | Elijah Elliott turnover (bad pass) (Joe Philon III steals) | |||
| 4:06 | +2 | Joe Philon III makes two point layup (Azavier Robinson assists) | 18-38 | |
| 4:20 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 4:22 | JR Bartelus misses two point layup | |||
| 4:34 | Ospreys 30 second timeout | |||
| 4:35 | +2 | Nikola Kusturica makes two point layup (Eric Dailey Jr. assists) | 18-36 | |
| 4:40 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 4:42 | Kent Jackson misses two point layup | |||
| 4:46 | Brandon Williams personal foul | |||
| 4:56 | +2 | Eric Dailey Jr. makes two point dunk (Nikola Kusturica assists) | 18-34 | |
| 5:16 | Bruins defensive rebound | |||
| 5:18 | Mason Watkins misses two point layup | |||
| 5:19 | Mason Watkins offensive rebound | |||
| 5:21 | Mason Watkins misses two point jump shot | |||
| 5:35 | Joe Philon III personal foul | |||
| 5:46 | +2 | Brandon Williams makes two point jump shot | 18-32 | |
| 5:59 | Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | |||
| 6:01 | Mason Lee misses three point jump shot | |||
| 6:06 | Mason Lee offensive rebound | |||
| 6:08 | Kent Jackson misses three point jump shot | |||
| 6:23 | +2 | Nikola Kusturica makes two point dunk | 18-30 | |
| 6:31 | Mason Watkins turnover (lost ball) (Joe Philon III steals) | |||
| 6:42 | Mason Lee defensive rebound | |||
| 6:42 | Joe Philon III misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
| 6:42 | Chris Perry shooting foul (Joe Philon III draws the foul) | |||
| 6:42 | +2 | Joe Philon III makes two point layup (Nikola Kusturica assists) | 18-28 | |
| 6:47 | Chris Perry turnover (lost ball) (Joe Philon III steals) | |||
| 7:07 | +3 | Nikola Kusturica makes three point jump shot (Azavier Robinson assists) | 18-26 | |
| 7:15 | TV timeout | |||
| 7:19 | Azavier Robinson offensive rebound | |||
| 7:21 | Azavier Robinson misses two point layup | |||
| 7:30 | Azavier Robinson defensive rebound | |||
| 7:32 | Azavier Robinson blocks Kent Jackson's two point jump shot | |||
| 7:45 | Chris Perry defensive rebound | |||
| 7:47 | Trent Perry misses two point jump shot | |||
| 7:55 | Joe Philon III defensive rebound | |||
| 7:57 | Eddie Placer misses three point jump shot | |||
| 8:04 | Eric Dailey Jr. turnover (offensive foul) | |||
| 8:04 | Eric Dailey Jr. offensive foul | |||
| 8:18 | Jaylen Petty defensive rebound | |||
| 8:20 | BJ Plummer misses three point jump shot | |||
| 8:27 | Mason Watkins defensive rebound | |||
| 8:29 | Eric Dailey Jr. misses two point layup | |||
| 8:35 | Trent Perry defensive rebound | |||
| 8:37 | Nikola Kusturica blocks Mason Watkins's two point layup | |||
| 8:57 | +3 | Nikola Kusturica makes three point jump shot (Trent Perry assists) | 18-23 | |
| 9:05 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 9:07 | Kent Jackson misses two point jump shot | |||
| 9:24 | +3 | Nikola Kusturica makes three point jump shot (Trent Perry assists) | 18-20 | |
| 9:39 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 9:39 | Kent Jackson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
| 9:39 | Azavier Robinson shooting foul (Kent Jackson draws the foul) | |||
| 9:39 | +3 | Kent Jackson makes three point jump shot (Mason Watkins assists) | 18-17 | |
| 9:51 | +2 | Joe Philon III makes two point dunk (Trent Perry assists) | 15-17 | |
| 9:55 | Brandon Williams defensive rebound | |||
| 9:57 | Brandon Williams blocks JR Bartelus's two point layup | |||
| 10:05 | JR Bartelus offensive rebound | |||
| 10:07 | Elijah Elliott misses three point jump shot | |||
| 10:18 | BJ Plummer defensive rebound | |||
| 10:20 | Azavier Robinson misses two point layup | |||
| 10:31 | Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | |||
| 10:33 | JR Bartelus misses three point jump shot | |||
| 10:53 | BJ Plummer defensive rebound | |||
| 10:53 | Trent Perry misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 10:53 | +1 | Trent Perry makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-15 | |
| 10:53 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. shooting foul (Trent Perry draws the foul) | |||
| 11:05 | Bruins defensive rebound | |||
| 11:07 | JR Bartelus misses two point layup | |||
| 11:17 | Ospreys defensive rebound | |||
| 11:22 | Trent Perry misses three point jump shot | |||
| 11:43 | +2 | JR Bartelus makes two point dunk (Eddie Placer assists) | 15-14 | |
| 12:00 | +1 | Trent Perry makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-14 | |
| 12:00 | +1 | Trent Perry makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-13 | |
| 12:00 | TV timeout | |||
| 12:00 | JR Bartelus shooting foul (Trent Perry draws the foul) | |||
| 12:15 | +3 | Kent Jackson makes three point jump shot | 13-12 | |
| 12:20 | Kent Jackson defensive rebound | |||
| 12:22 | Eric Dailey Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
| 12:28 | Brandon Williams defensive rebound | |||
| 12:30 | JR Bartelus misses two point layup | |||
| 12:41 | BJ Plummer defensive rebound | |||
| 12:43 | Eric Dailey Jr. misses two point jump shot | |||
| 13:05 | +3 | BJ Plummer makes three point jump shot (Kent Jackson assists) | 10-12 | |
| 13:12 | Kent Jackson defensive rebound | |||
| 13:14 | Brandon Williams misses three point jump shot | |||
| 13:20 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 13:22 | Eddie Placer misses three point jump shot | |||
| 13:29 | Eddie Placer defensive rebound | |||
| 13:31 | JR Bartelus blocks Brandon Williams's two point layup | |||
| 13:55 | Isaiah Brown turnover (offensive foul) | |||
| 13:55 | Isaiah Brown offensive foul | |||
| 14:06 | Eric Dailey Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Ayuba Bryant Jr. steals) | |||
| 14:06 | Jump ball. Eric Dailey Jr. vs. Ayuba Bryant Jr. (Ayuba Bryant Jr. gains possession) | |||
| 14:07 | Kent Jackson turnover (lost ball) (Joe Philon III steals) | |||
| 14:11 | BJ Plummer offensive rebound | |||
| 14:13 | Mason Watkins misses two point layup | |||
| 14:23 | Trent Perry turnover (bad pass) (Ayuba Bryant Jr. steals) | |||
| 14:35 | +2 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. makes two point layup (BJ Plummer assists) | 7-12 | |
| 14:40 | BJ Plummer offensive rebound | |||
| 14:42 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. misses two point layup | |||
| 14:51 | Sergej Macura turnover (offensive foul) | |||
| 14:51 | Sergej Macura offensive foul | |||
| 14:57 | Joe Philon III offensive rebound | |||
| 14:57 | Trent Perry misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 14:57 | Trent Perry misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 14:57 | Mason Watkins shooting foul (Trent Perry draws the foul) | |||
| 15:23 | TV timeout | |||
| 15:23 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. turnover (offensive foul) | |||
| 15:23 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. offensive foul | |||
| 15:43 | +3 | Trent Perry makes three point jump shot (Nikola Kusturica assists) | 5-12 | |
| 15:49 | Trent Perry defensive rebound | |||
| 15:51 | Elijah Elliott misses three point jump shot | |||
| 15:59 | Mason Watkins defensive rebound | |||
| 16:01 | Trent Perry misses two point jump shot | |||
| 16:10 | Trent Perry defensive rebound | |||
| 16:12 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. misses two point layup | |||
| 16:31 | +2 | Brandon Williams makes two point jump shot (Jaylen Petty assists) | 5-9 | |
| 16:58 | +2 | Kent Jackson makes two point layup | 5-7 | |
| 17:06 | Mason Watkins defensive rebound | |||
| 17:08 | Trent Perry misses three point jump shot | |||
| 17:17 | Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | |||
| 17:19 | Mason Watkins misses three point jump shot | |||
| 17:30 | +3 | Nikola Kusturica makes three point jump shot (Eric Dailey Jr. assists) | 3-7 | |
| 17:50 | +3 | Mason Watkins makes three point jump shot (Mason Lee assists) | 3-4 | |
| 18:06 | Eric Dailey Jr. turnover (bad pass) | |||
| 18:23 | Trent Perry defensive rebound | |||
| 18:25 | Kent Jackson misses three point jump shot | |||
| 18:42 | +2 | Jaylen Petty makes two point jump shot (Trent Perry assists) | 0-4 | |
| 18:51 | Eric Dailey Jr. defensive rebound | |||
| 18:53 | Nikola Kusturica blocks Mason Watkins's two point layup | |||
| 19:00 | +2 | Nikola Kusturica makes two point jump shot | 0-2 | |
| 19:17 | Elijah Elliott turnover (bad pass) | |||
| 19:38 | Mason Lee defensive rebound | |||
| 19:40 | Eric Dailey Jr. misses two point jump shot | |||
| 20:00 | Ayuba Bryant Jr. vs. Nikola Kusturica (Jaylen Petty gains possession) |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
| Mason Lee defensive rebound | 0:00 |
| Brandon Williams misses two point jump shot | 0:01 |
| Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | 0:32 |
| JR Bartelus misses two point jump shot | 0:34 |
| JR Bartelus defensive rebound | 0:41 |
| Jaylen Petty misses three point jump shot | 0:43 |
| |
+ 2 | JR Bartelus makes two point jump shot | 1:05 |
| |
+ 1 | Nikola Kusturica makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 1:11 |
| |
+ 1 | Nikola Kusturica makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1:11 |
| Isaiah Brown personal foul (Nikola Kusturica draws the foul) | 1:11 |
| Nikola Kusturica defensive rebound | 1:15 |
| Team Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | 20 | 52 |
| Field Goals | 8-37 (21.6%) | 19-33 (57.6%) |
| 3-Pointers | 4-15 (26.7%) | 5-10 (50.0%) |
| Free Throws | 0-3 (0.0%) | 9-15 (60.0%) |
| Total Rebounds | 23 | 26 |
| Offensive | 6 | 2 |
| Defensive | 15 | 22 |
| Team | 2 | 2 |
| Assists | 5 | 13 |
| Steals | 2 | 7 |
| Blocks | 1 | 4 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 5 |
| Fouls | 11 | 6 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
|
| Team Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| North Florida 1-0 | 71.0 PPG | 45.0 RPG | 8.0 APG |
| 22 UCLA 1-0 | 84.0 PPG | 53.0 RPG | 16.0 APG |
| Key Players | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
00
|
. Jackson G | 15.0 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 1.0 APG | 26.7 FG% |
|
00
|
. Kusturica G | 9.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 2.0 APG | 27.3 FG% |
| Top Scorers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Jackson G | 8 PTS | 2 REB | 1 AST | ||
| N. Kusturica G | 26 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | ||
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Bartelus | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2/8 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| M. Watkins | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1/7 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| B. Plummer | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| M. Lee | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| E. Placer | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Bartelus | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2/8 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| M. Watkins | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1/7 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| B. Plummer | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| M. Lee | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| E. Placer | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| C. Perry | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| I. Brown | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Begaj | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| G. Jacobs | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E. Bergantino | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Kohn | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 20 | 21 | 5 | 8/37 | 4/15 | 0/3 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 15 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| N. Kusturica | 26 | 5 | 3 | 9/9 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| B. Williams | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2/5 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| E. Dailey Jr. | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2/6 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| J. Petty | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2/3 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| A. Robinson | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| N. Kusturica | 26 | 5 | 3 | 9/9 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| B. Williams | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2/5 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| E. Dailey Jr. | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2/6 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| J. Petty | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2/3 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| A. Robinson | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Philon III | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3/3 | 0/0 | 2/3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| S. Macura | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| X. Booker | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Alston | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| G. Grinvalds | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Floyd | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Houegban | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 52 | 24 | 13 | 19/33 | 5/10 | 9/15 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 22 |