WATCH: Johnny Juzang nails buzzer-beating shot to end first half
UCLA star Johnny Juzang’s impact in March showed again, hitting a buzzer-beating three-point shot to close the first half of the Pac-12 Championship game. Juzang caught an inbound pass and drilled the clutch shot in a defender’s face, giving the Bruins a five-point lead at the half over Arizona.
Johnny Juzang’s buzzer shot
After his heroic effort in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Bruins fans initially were worried that they would be losing their young star to the NBA. Juzang made the decision to return to UCLA for another season, and the Bruins are poised to win the Pac-12 title behind him. With his made three-point shot to end the half, Juzang leads all scorers in the championship matchup with 11 points in a toughly defended game.
The Bruins’ miracle NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four was in large part due to Juzang’s historic run of scoring. Through UCLA’s six games in the tournament, Juzang averaged 22.8 points and shot 50.9 percent from the field. Juzang’s 137 points was the second-highest total in UCLA history for the tournament.
During last year’s tournament, Juzang scored 27 points against BYU and 28 points against Michigan in huge wins for UCLA. Eventually, their amazing run would end at the hands of Gonzaga in the Final Four, but Juzang ended his year with his best scoring day yet with 29 points.
The Pac-12 Tournament Championship game got off to an incredible start in the first half, as UCLA led Arizona at halftime, 40-35. With a great crowd and hard-fought defense, the championship game entered halftime with both teams building leads at different points of the game. The biggest difference early was Arizona’s turnovers, with six giveaways to UCLA’s two. Despite the defensive effort, Arizona shot 3-of-7 from three-point territory, while UCLA made just one three-point shot in the half before Juzang’s buzzer-beater.