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NCAA Tournament: UCLA Basketball Pulls Away Late, Advance in Big Dance

By Mike Regalado

Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward TJ Leaf (22) celebrates with Bruins guard Aaron Holiday (3) in front of Kent State Golden Flashes guard Kevin Zabo (55) in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward TJ Leaf (22) celebrates with Bruins guard Aaron Holiday (3) in front of Kent State Golden Flashes guard Kevin Zabo (55) in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Though the UCLA Basketball team led for the entire game, Kent State gave the Bruins a few scares before the blue and gold put the game away late.

The jitters have been shaken off and the UCLA Basketball team continues to dance after they defeated #14 Kent State in their Round of 64 contest, but it was not as easy as the score suggests.

At least not for three-quarters of the game.

UCLA set the tempo early and it looked like they would blow the doors off the barn as they started hot and at one time had a 27-13 lead, but this is the Big Dance and the Golden Flashes were not going away as they bolted down said doors.

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Though UCLA was up 47-39 at halftime, a 21-10 run by Kent State spanning both halves put the Bruins on alert. The Golden Flashes were patient as they pulled to within four points early in the second half, down 50-54.

But the Bruins are the Bruins and even though they looked sluggish at times, their talent carried them past Kent State for most of the game. It wasn’t until seven minutes left in the game that UCLA pulled away as they hit 12 consecutive shots.

That streak was the dagger that downed Kent State as UCLA pushed the lead to 20. Kent State hit several late shots, but it was no where near enough as UCLA won 97-80 and now heads to the Round of 32 to face Cincinnati.

The Bruins had a scare in the first half when Lonzo Ball landed hard on his hip trying to grab a rebound. He was visibly uncomfortable, but he seemed to shake it off as he finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Four other Bruins scored in double-digits led by TJ Leaf who tied a game-high 23 points. Thomas Welsh was killer with his short and mid-range shots which led to his 16 points. Aaron Holiday and Isaac Hamilton finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Next: How UCLA Basketball Can Make a Run in the NCAA Tournament

Though the Bruins were able to play their game against a team they should have rightfully dominated, it is imperative that they play tighter against the defensive-minded Cincinnati Bearcats on Sunday.