News / Sports
UCLA Back in Final Four With Win Over Kansas Jayhawks
Arron Afflalo scored 24 points and Josh Shipp added 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as the number two seeded UCLA Bruins overcame 24 turnovers to beat the number one seeded Kansas Jayhawks 68-55 to advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.
Most of the first half belonged to Kansas and when Darnell Jackson grabbed an offensive board and slammed it home the Jayhawks led 29-23 with 4:23 left in the half. Something suddenly clicked for the Bruins and Michael Roll’s three-pointer ignited a 12-2 run to end the half and give UCLA a 35-31 lead.
The Bruins then opened the second half with an 11-4 run and were up 46-35 and it looked as if UCLA was beginning to pull away from the Jayhawks. Kansas tried to chip away at the Bruins lead but each time they made a move UCLA answered. Russell Robinson hit a three-pointer with 5:24 on the clock to pull the Jayhawks to within five but Darren Collison buried a three-pointer of his own to push the lead back to eight for the Bruins.
Collison then made it a nine point advantage after hitting a pair of free-throws with 1:36 left in the game and the Bruins were starting to celebrate.
The victory puts UCLA in their 17th Final Four, an NCAA record. North Carolina has made 16 appearances and could earn their 17th with a win over Georgetown in Sunday’s game.
