Sunday, December 4, 2016

No. 11 UCLA Tops No. 1 Kentucky, 97-92


dec 03, 2016 | ucla men's basketball page | ARTICLE LINK
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Isaac Hamilton scored a team-high 19 points and TJ Leaf tallied a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds as No. 11 UCLA defeated No. 1 Kentucky, 97-92, on Saturday afternoon from Rupp Arena.

This marks the second-straight season that the Bruins earned a win over a top-ranked Kentucky team as UCLA defeated the No. 1 Wildcats last season in Pauley Pavilion, 87-77. The last time UCLA (9-0) defeated a No.1 ranked team on the road was Feb. 3, 2001 at Stanford. The Bruins' victory on Saturday afternoon snapped Kentucky's 42-game home winning streak in Rupp Arena.

Lonzo Ball scored 14 points with seven assists and six rebounds, while Bryce Alford and Thomas Welsh added 14 points each. Aaron Holiday contributed 13 points (all before halftime), making 4 of 7 shots off the bench. In all, UCLA had six players who scored in double figures in the team's first-ever appearance in Rupp Arena.

"I can't be more proud of our team obviously coming in here with this environment and playing a team like this," said head coach Steve 
Alford, who saw his UCLA squad face Kentucky as the nation's top-ranked team for the third straight season. "For us to come in here and get a win, it's huge for us. I couldn't be more proud."

Kentucky (7-1) was led by Malik Monk recording 24 points and De'Aaron Fox adding 20 points with nine assists.

The Bruins led by as many as 14 points in the second half after riding an 11-2 run to start the period behind a pair of dunks by Ike Anigbogu and Leaf. Kentucky cut the lead to just three points with 10 seconds remaining in regulation after Fox and Derek Willis hit three-pointers in the final minute. However, Alford was able to hit four free throws in the waning moments to seal the victory.

UCLA led 49-45 going into halftime as Ball would hit a long 3-pointer in the final seconds to give the Bruins the four-point lead. The Bruins trailed by as many as nine points in the opening period, but erased the deficit by ending the half on a 12-4 run led by Holiday scoring seven points and capped by Ball's 3-pointer.

The Bruins came into the game first in the NCAA in field-goal percentage at 55 percent and were able to shoot 53 percent (35-66) from the floor, including 10 3-pointers. The Wildcats shot 41 percent (33-80) from the field but only 33 percent from behind the arc.

"A lot of people just think we played out of our minds," said Leaf, who has averaged 17.2 points in nine games. "I mean, we played a good game, nothing special. That's who we are."

UCLA will return to action against Michigan (6-2) in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 10. Game time is 5 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be televised nationally by ESPN2. This will mark the first meeting bewteen UCLA and Michigan since Nov. 23, 2011, in that season's Maui Invitational.

 
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