UCLA beats Northwestern to return to Sweet 16; David Singleton injured

how cute is that

For the third time in as many seasons, UCLA advances to week two of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins went back to the Sweet 16 as another trend continued in the Golden 1 Center Saturday: The final minutes were still winning time.

In second place, UCLA shook off the seventh-place Wildcats for a 68–63 win in the second round.

The Bruins’ cheer was tempered by another late-season injury.

UCLA senior guard David Singleton, whose lone three-point shot of the night opened a late six-point lead, was injured when he slipped with 20 seconds left. He had to be helped off the field, but returned, wiggling his fingers as he walked away to the cheers of the crowd.

Jaime Jacques Jr. scored 24 points, Amari Bailey added 14 and Tyger Campbell had 12 for the Bruins, who retired after making all the necessary plays in the final minutes. Campbell tossed the ball into the air after the last second had elapsed.

UCLA (31-5) will play the winner of Sunday’s second round game between Gonzaga and Texas Christian in a regional semifinal on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Boo Buie scored 18 points in the second half, Matthew Nicholson 17 and Chase Audige 16 for Northwestern (22-12), who, given their lack of basketball heritage, had their chances in the greatest game in school history.

An incredibly intense back and forth game put UCLA ahead as Singleton buried a three to give the Bruins a 62-56 lead with 1:45 left after an Adem Bona block gave their team possession. Northwestern’s Brooks Barnhizer made two free throws to pull the Wildcats in 62-58.

Northwestern got the ball back after Jaquez made a hard base jump, but the Wildcats missed two consecutive shots and Campbell grabbed the rebound with 42 seconds left, fouled and made two free throws to extend the lead to 64-58 . , before Buie made a short jump with 23 seconds left.

The Wildcats fouled Singleton, who was in so much pain that he put an arm around Coach Tyler Lesher as he took the field. UCLA’s Dylan Andrews made both free throws with 20 seconds remaining before Buie missed a driving layup, effectively ending the Wildcats’ battle.

A “UCLA!” Chants echoed throughout the arena after Andrew’s three-pointer from the wing gave the Bruins a 51-45 lead and capped a 6-0 rise. As before in the second half, Northwestern rallied to go 51-50 on a Buie 3-pointer.

It looked like UCLA was headed for a break as Bailey Buie flipped to make a layup to give the Bruins a 41-28 lead early in the second half.

But as a sign of the future, Jaquez hit a three-pointer and fans of the Northwest rallied. The Wildcats then began to find the rhythm that eluded them in the first half with an 11-2 push to tie inside 43-39, forcing UCLA coach Mick Cronin to call a timeout during Singleton and Bona feuded on the way to the bank. . .

Bona threw a dunk out of timeout, but immediately clung to the left shoulder he injured during the Pac-12 tournament and took off. Northwestern quickly tied the game at 45-45 when UCLA’s Kenneth Nwuba was called to the goaltender during a drive practice by Buie.

UCLA’s stifling defense helped the Bruins take a 35–25 halftime lead, holding veteran Northwestern backcourt van Buie and Audige to five points in a combined one-of-eight shooting. Bailey and Andrews especially choked on Buie, preventing him from running on the track as they awkwardly held their breath.

The Bruins had significantly less success stopping Nicholson, who made all five shots en route to 10 points after scoring on several lobs and pick-and-roll plays. All three of UCLA’s great men were equally ineffective at preventing these simple baskets.

In his first appearance since running a careful run during the Pac-12 tournament, Bona struggled early on except for a dunk after a nice pass from Bailey. Bona was called out for two fouls within 24 seconds and came out after just four minutes of play in the first half.

Continuing his surprising role as the Bruins’ best tall man, Nwuba blocked a shot that initiated a quick break that ended in a dunk from Jaquez. Jaquez and Bailey were their main forwards and combined to score 25 points against center.

UCLA’s pressure on all courts was also effective on sacks, giving the Bruins an 11–3 lead in turnovers at halftime. It also allowed them to go on the fast break as much as possible to maximize their big advantage in athletics. At halftime, all 13 fast break points of the game were for the Bruins.

After UCLA’s first-round victory, Cronin joked that his sister would support Kelly Northwestern because she was a graduate student. Kelly Cronin’s students at Summit Country Day High in Cincinnati, where she is the principal, saw the scene but put up pro-Northwest signs in her office, but to avoid confusion, she wore a UCLA T-shirt.

“She would never rant on me,” said Mick Cronin.

It would have been a futile attempt anyway.