UCLA's Jaime Jaquez leaves game against Saint Mary's with ankle injury

UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez went down with an ankle injury with 6:58 left to play in a second round NCAA Tournament game against Saint Mary’s on Saturday. Jaquez stayed down for several moments under the basket before eventually walking off under his own power with a limp.

He was taken to the tunnel where trainers attended to his injury. He later returned to the UCLA bench, but with his socks off and his ankle wrapped in ice.

Jaime Jaquez walks gingerly off the court. Not a good sign. He’s been battling ankle injuries all year. pic.twitter.com/dqRktwrkAX

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 20, 2022

“As you can see, Jaime Jaquez has got ice wrapped around that right ankle,” Andy Katz reported on the broadcast. “He’s rolled both those ankles throughout the course of the season. They didn’t take him back to the locker room because it’s so far down the hallway. They actually worked on him around the corner behind me here in the hallway. With the sneakers off here and no socks, it looks very unlikely that he will return.”

The Bruins were clinging to a 55-47 lead at the time of the injury, which was built largely on the play of Jaquez. The UCLA star led the team with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting at the time of his exit. If Jaquez is ultimately unable to return, it would be a huge blow to UCLA’s tournament chances. He started all 32 games this season and is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 14 points per game.

This isn’t the first Jaime Jaquez has dealt with an ankle injury this season. He has battled injuries off and on all year, though never missed an extended period of time.

Despite the loss of Jaquez, UCLA finished the game on a strong note to claim a 72-56 victory and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Leading by only eight at the time of the Jaquez injury, the Bruins expanded their advantage to as many as 18 points on their way to the win. Tyger Campbell stepped up in the absence of Jaquez to finish with a team-high 16 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

UCLA will next face North Carolina for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on Friday. The Tar Heels are coming off of a huge upset of No. 1 seed and defending champion Baylor, so they certainly won’t be an easy out.