Sweet 16: Bruins Can’t Stand up to Gonzaga
CBS – Bruin Synergy Comes up short against Gonzaga
Houston, Texas
Not even a Mayim Bialik 8-clap could help the Bruins in Houston Friday night as the Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated UCLA 74-62 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. In a game marred by poor shooting and uneven scoring, Gonzaga used a 12-0 run midway through the 2nd half to put the Bruins away for good.
UCLA Bruins
Norman Powell kept Bruins in the game early with multiple drives to the basket and Center Tony Parker got it going late in the 1st half to keep UCLA within shouting distance. However, the Bulldogs spent most of the 1st half with a 7-9 point lead by grinding out post buckets and converting free throw opportunities.
The Bruins opened the 2nd half with a flurry of buckets by Ike Hamilton and Powell and pulled within 1 early in the 2nd half. However, that was the last gasp of hope for the Bruins as Gonzaga immediately went on a 12-0 run for a commanding lead. The Zags never looked back and went on to outscore the Bruins 39-30 with a steady inside out attack.
Bryce Alford, the leading tournament scorer going into the Sweet 16, struggled with the Gonzaga’s defense the entire game and finished with 8 points on 3/11 shooting. Although both teams struggled from the outside, UCLA had an especially difficult time. The Bruins missed their first nine 3 point shots and seemingly couldn’t buy a bucket from outside the paint. Despite similar shooting woes, Gonzaga was able to grind out points thanks to some terrific passing (15 assists) and dominating the Bruins on the glass (out rebounding the Bruins 50-39). In the end, the Bulldogs proved they were the better team and worthy of its 1st Elite 8 appearance since 1999.
Chris Roberts in his last moments as the voice of the Bruins.
For UCLA, an up and down season marked by embarrasing early losses and great play late should be remembered as a year in which the Bruins made it to the Sweet 16 despite losing 5 players to the NBA. Looking towards next year, the Bruins will lose Senior Norman Powell and probably lose Senior Freshman Kevon Looney to the NBA Draft (as well as veteran broadcaster Chris Roberts). However, with an influx of recruiting talent the Bruins will raise expectations once again for 2015-16.
UCLA loses to Gonzaga