March Madness: UCLA’s Sweet 16 ambitions thwarted in loss to UConn
PHILADELPHIA — On the night that defending NCAA champion Florida was eliminated by Iowa, UCLA tried to follow the Hawkeyes’ lead against Connecticut, the team that had worn the crown the previous two years.
And for a second straight game, they hoped to win without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau, whose sprained knee hadn’t yet healed enough for coach Mick Cronin to risk taking him to the ground.
Seventh-seeded UCLA fought back, managing to take a brief lead in the second half. But ultimately, No. 2 Connecticut’s size and power were too much for the Bruins to overcome in a 73-57 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Four players scored in double figures for UCLA. Xavier Booker finished with 13 points, Eric Dailey Jr. 12 points and Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark each finished with 11. But the Bruins couldn’t contain Connecticut forward Alex Karaban, who exploded for 27 points, as the Huskies advanced to the Sweet 16 to face No. 3 Michigan State in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
The Bruins got off to a hot start, taking an 18-12 lead before the Huskies caught fire, hitting seven straight shots at one point to take a 38-33 lead into halftime.
Connecticut’s Tarris Reed Jr., center, attempts to pass (left to right) UCLA’s Trent Perry, Donovan Dent and Eric Dailey Jr. during the first half Sunday.
(Matt Rourke/Associated Press)
UCLA (24-12) started the second half on a 6-0 run, regaining the lead 39-38 on a Clark corner kick.
Connecticut (31-5) didn’t wait long to regain control, going on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes, with Karaban scoring 10 points in that span.
UCLA responded with an 8-0 run, Dailey’s three-point play cutting Connecticut’s lead to 56-52 and rekindling the Bruins’ hopes of an upset. Connecticut, however, responded with a decisive 9-0 run, taking a 67-54 lead with 4:24 to play.
UCLA struggled with its shooting for most of the night, going 19 for 49 (39%), compared to Connecticut’s 23 for 49 (47%). Both teams made the same number of free throws (21), but the Bruins made only 67% of their shots and the Huskies 90%.
