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UCLA men lose to Indiana in a double-overtime heartbreaker

Trent Perry hit a game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key with 1.1 seconds left in regulation before the UCLA men’s basketball team went on to lose to Indiana 98-97 in double overtime Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

Freshman Trent Sisley made the first of two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to give the Hoosiers a one-point lead in the second overtime period after being fouled by Donovan Dent on an inbounds play. Sisley missed the second attempt, and the clock ran out as Eric Dailey Jr. grabbed the rebound and fired it the length of the court.

Perry finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, and Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Bruins (15-7, 7-4) suffered their first loss at home.

UCLA erased a 10-point deficit in the last 1:50 of the second half but was unable to come up with a defensive rebound in the final moments of the game

“I’m proud of how we fought,” said Perry, who nailed a corner three-pointer to beat the shot clock and give his team a 93-90 lead with 1:46 left in the second overtime. “We’re on the other end of it, but we came together. Earlier in the season we would’ve held our heads low.”

Perry missed a 15-foot fallaway jumper from the right side as the horn sounded to end the first overtime with the score tied 84-84. Dailey hit a jumper in the lane to even the score in the second overtime at 97-97 with 12 seconds left. Sisley missed a layup with 1.5 seconds left, and UCLA was ruled to have touched the ball last on a rebound under the basket with 1.5 seconds left. UCLA coach Mick Cronin challenged the call, but it was upheld on review, and the subsequent foul on Dent dashed Bruins fans’ hopes for a third overtime.

UCLA guard Trent Perry celebrates one of his big shots against Indiana. He led the Bruins with 25 points.

UCLA guard Trent Perry celebrates one of his big shots against Indiana. He led the Bruins with 25 points.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

“I have no comments on the officiating,” a frustrated Cronin said. “Of course, my staff told me it was our ball. I just watched it on a small iPad and it sure looked like it was off Indiana’s elbow. I don’t know.”

Many red-and-white-clad Indiana supporters were among the 10,066 fans who witnessed the Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5) even the all-time series at 7-7. Nick Dorn scored 26 points, Lamar Wilkerson and Reed Bailey each had 24 points, and Tucker DeVries added nine points and 10 rebounds.

Dailey had 15 points for the Bruins, who were 30 for 34 at the free-throw line. There were 13 ties and 15 lead changes.

“We had some tough calls go against us at the end but we had to keep fighting,” said Dent, who logged a game-high 50 minutes before fouling out on the last play. “We rallied back late. I don’t think our defense was horrendous.”

Indiana used an 11-0 run over a 1:40 span to take a 22-16 lead before the Bruins responded with a 14-3 run during a 3½-minute stretch to take a 30-25 lead. Reed Bailey’s basket and free throw pulled the Hoosiers within 36-30 at halftime.

Reed Bailey’s uncontested two-handed dunk gave the Hoosiers a 56-52 lead with 8:04 remaining in the second half, and Cronin called a timeout. Reed Bailey’s three-point play made it 63-54, and the Bruins trailed by 10 with 1:50 left.

A three-point play by Dent pulled the Bruins within four with 51 seconds left. After free throws by Wilkerson, Dent made a layup, then Eric Dailey Jr. stole a pass and hit a jumper in the lane. Perry’s free throws cut Indiana’s lead to 75-73 with 9.9 seconds left. Reed Bailey was fouled on the inbounds play and made the second of two free throws to put his team up three with 8.7 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Perry’s heroics to force overtime.

UCLA continues its three-game homestand against Rutgers on Tuesday and Washington next Saturday, desperately needing to win both after falling to seventh in the Big Ten standings.

“Our defense was awful tonight,” Cronin said. “We deserved to lose. We couldn’t score for a long time, missing wide-open shot after wide-open shot. I always say the same thing, no matter what … just worry about defense, rebounding and effort. There’s no magic potion on shooting.”

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Immigration raids pick up in L.A. as federal tactics shift. Arrests happen in ‘as fast as 30 seconds’

At a recent training session for 300 immigration activists in Los Angeles, the main topic was Minnesota and the changes to federal immigration tactics.

For the last few months, federal law enforcement officers have intensified their efforts to locate and deport immigrants suspected of living in the country illegally. They have used children as bait, gone door-to-door and at times forcibly stormed into people’s homes without judicial warrants.

But it was the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens protesting immigration raids in Minnesota, that sparked a growing backlash of the federal government’s aggressive actions and caused activists to reconsider their own approach when monitoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“One quick note about de-escalation,” Joseline Garcia, the community defense director for City Council District 1, told a crowd at St. Paul’s Commons in Echo Park. “What we would do when it came to de-escalation is we’d tell people their rights, try to get their information and try to reason with the ICE agents and pressure them to leave.”

“Things have changed a ton in the past two months, so that’s not something we’re willing to put you all at risk to do,” she added. “There is risk here and we are always encouraging people to stay safe and please constantly be assessing the risks.”

The immigration crackdown began in Los Angeles last summer but has continued in the region even after the national focus shifted to Chicago and now Minneapolis. The last month has seen a new series of arrests and actions that have left local communities on edge.

While the scope of the sweeps and the number of arrests in Los Angeles appear to be down overall compared with last summer, daily immigration operations are being documented across the city, from street corners in Boyle Heights to downtown L.A.’s Fashion District.

Federal agents holding less-lethal projectile weapons in Los Angeles

Federal agents carry less-lethal projectile weapons in Los Angeles in June.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Times’ requests for comment. In a previous statement the department said Border Patrol agents were continuing to operate in the city to “arrest and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”

Earlier this month, renewed fears spread among shoppers in the Fashion District after federal agents conducted an immigration sweep that shut down local commerce to check vendors’ proof of citizenship. Days later a federal agent opened fire at a suspect, who the Department of Homeland Security said rammed agents with his vehicle while attempting to evade arrest, during a targeted operation in South Los Angeles.

Local immigration activists say they have noticed a change in immigration agents’ tactics. The change has forced activists to also adjust their tactics.

“What we’re seeing now are large numbers of officers to grab anywhere from one to five people, not necessarily questioning them, and then moving out as quickly as possible,” said Juan Pablo Orjuela-Parra, a labor justice organizer with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

Maribel C., associate director of Órale, a Long Beach-based immigrant advocacy group that was established in 2006, said rapid response volunteers in Long Beach have reported similar tactics by immigration agents.

“In as fast as 30 seconds” a target can be “literally taken off the streets” by federal agents, leaving no time for a rapid response volunteer to relay “know your rights” information or get the detainee’s name, said Maribel, who is not providing her full name to protect her safety.

Immigrant rights advocates say one thing that has not changed is federal officials continue to detain immigrants with no criminal history.

On Jan. 20, exactly one year into the Trump administration’s second term, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said about 70% of people whom the agency has arrested have been convicted or charged with a crime in the United States.

In the first nine months of the administration’s immigration crackdown, from Jan. 1 to Oct. 15, a Times analysis of nationwide ICE arrests found that percentage to be about the same.

In Los Angeles, the same analyses found that of the more than 10,000 Los Angeles residents who were arrested in immigration operations, about 45% were charged with a criminal conviction and an additional 14% had pending charges.

Between June and October of last year, the number of arrests has fluctuated significantly.

The arrests peaked in June with 2,500 people who were apprehended — including those who have pending criminal charges or were charged with immigration violations — but the following month the number fell to slightly more than 2,000. After further drops, a small spike in arrests occurred in September, with more than 1,000 arrested and then dramatically dropped in October with fewer than 500 arrests.

Officials have not released detailed data since then.

“I think what’s happened in Minnesota is terrifying for everyone in the country because those tactics that are being implemented in Minnesota are going to be the same tactics that are going to be implemented elsewhere,” Maribel said.

After a second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal officers, the Trump administration is moving to scale back its presence in Minneapolis and in the process bumping Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino out of the state, with border advisor Tom Homan taking his place.

Bovino led and participated in highly visible immigration operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and Minneapolis, sparking outrage and mass demonstrations.

At the training event in Echo Park, organizers said the recent events in Minnesota are jarring and forcing them to reconsider the safety of activists who protest or document immigration raids. Those activities will continue, they said, but with a focus on safety.

“Over the past two weeks, we saw that they’re escalating to the point of killing people that are exercising their rights,” Garcia said.

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Sean McVay deserves blame for Rams’ NFC title loss to Seahawks

Late in the mess that was the Rams’ final game of the season, Sean McVay was seen frustratingly burying his face in his play card.

That couldn’t hide the truth.

The Rams’ 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the NFC championship game must be draped on the deflated shoulders of the Rams’ resident genius.

As blasphemous as it sounds when referencing one of the greatest coaches in Los Angeles sports history, this one was on McVay.

A day after his 40th birthday, McVay coached like he was no longer the child prodigy, but instead an aging leader who leaves himself open to second-guessing.

McVay has rarely deserved criticism in his nine successful seasons here. But in the wake of an afternoon at Seattle’s deafening Lumen Field that should have propelled the Rams to the Super Bowl, this is one of those times.

A confusing final possession of the first half. Another special teams miscue. A bad decision to pass up a field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

It all added up to negatively impact a game the Rams could have won, and should have won.

“I love this team and I wasn’t ready to stop working with them,” McVay said. “This was a special year, it’s hard to fathom that it’s over.”

It shouldn’t be over. The Rams gained 479 yards against the league’s top-rated defense. They only committed four penalties. The offense didn’t have a turnover. Matthew Stafford was brilliant, 374 yards, three touchdowns, countless big throws.

The Rams were great, but during the biggest moments, they got goofy, and basically handed the Super Bowl invitation to the Seahawks on a grass-stained platter.

What was McVay thinking?

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the fourth quarter.

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the fourth quarter of a 31-27 loss to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Begin with the Rams’ possession at the end of the first half, after they scored a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead and their running game was rolling and they had a chance to capitalize on their momentum.

But instead of continuing to pound the ball and at least run down the clock, they threw twice in three plays, both incompletions, and had to punt after just 39 seconds, thus giving the ball back to the Seahawks with 54 seconds remaining in the half. Sure enough, the Seahawks then went 74 yards in 34 seconds, highlighted by a 42-yard pass from reborn Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Kam Curl and ending with a 14-yard touchdown pass to an uncovered Smith-Njigba to give them a 17-13 halftime lead.

The strategy by McVay was so flawed, it was actually criticized by Tom Brady on Fox, and Brady rarely criticizes anybody.

“The finality of all of it, I didn’t really expect this,” McVay said. “We had our chances … a couple of critical errors that ended up costing us. … I’m pretty numb.”

The next mistake occurred at the start of the second half with — surprise, surprise — more special teams struggles. This time it was Xavier Smith muffing a punt and Dareke Young recovering on the Rams’ 17-yard line. On the next play, Darnold hit former UCLA star Jake Bobo for a touchdown pass ahead of Quentin Lake to give the Seahawks a 24-13 lead.

“It was costly,” McVay said. “That was a tough one.”

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game at Lumen Field.

Special teams have haunted McVay for a couple of years. They were so bad earlier this season that he dumped the coordinator. It didn’t matter. They still stink. Coaches always talk about the three phases of the game. McVay clearly doesn’t have a handle on this third phase.

Even with all this, the Rams were driving in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead or at least make a dent in a four-point deficit when another decision went bad.

The Rams had rolled 84 yards in 14 plays and were facing fourth and four at the Seattle six-yard line. There was 4:59 left in the game. That was plenty of time to kick the field goal, take the points, then lean on the defense to stop mistake-prone Darnold long enough to drive back downfield for the winning field goal.

But, no. McVay decided to go for it, and Stafford ended up throwing a pass to a blanketed Terrance Ferguson, the ball fell incomplete, and the Seahawks held the ball until the last 25 seconds.

Take the points! C’mon man, take the points!

If the Rams were within a field goal of winning, the pressure on the Seahawks would have been enormously heightened and the momentum of the ensuing drive would have felt entirely different and even if the Rams still only got the ball back with 25 seconds left and no timeouts … that’s long enough for a field-goal drive.

Rams coach Sean McVay, right, shakes hands with Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald.

Rams coach Sean McVay, right, shakes hands with Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald after the Rams’ 31-27 loss in the NFC championship game Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Granted, winning this game was a tough task. The Rams were trying to become only the sixth team to win three consecutive road playoff games. But they seemed up to the challenge and seemed destined to win … until they didn’t.

“A lot of resolve, a lot of resilience from our group, we just came up short,” McVay said.

The Rams will be back. Stafford has given no indication that he’s retiring, Puka Nacua isn’t going anywhere, the heart of the young defense returns and, of course, McVay is back.

One assumes his numbness will eventually disappear. One trusts it will be replaced by some of that resolve and resilience.

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