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UCLA Basketball: Bruins can’t break even in Vegas, lose to UNC

By Mike Regalado

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts during his team's game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts during his team's game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA basketball team drop two contests in the Las Vegas Invitational as the Bruins can’t close out against North Carolina in the consolation game.

The UCLA basketball team were on their way to beating #7 North Carolina in the third-place game at the Las Vegas Invitational, but then they had to play the second half.

The Bruins looked like a changed team in the first half against the Tar Heels. Their offense was a bit more controlled then it was against Michigan State as they looked for the extra pass and were patient in looking for the ideal shot. The defense also improved as it was a little bit more effective as UCLA switched to man.

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The Bruins led at halftime, 46-41. It was as if the Bruins had remembered that they have the talent to run with any team in the country. But then that all went out the window once the second half started.

The Bruins have had problems keeping their foot on the gas in recent seasons and it’s showing up again this season. Last Monday, UCLA blew a 24-point lead against Presbyterian who got as close as three. Against UNC, the Bruins had an 11-point advantage halfway through the first and let that go. Though the Tar Heels crawled back into the game, UCLA never let them get very close, which was promising, but things changed when the second half started.

North Carolina began the second half on a 9-5 run which started their slow separation from the Bruins as they would go on to outscore UCLA, 53-32 after the break.

The Bruins, who had a handle on their game in the first half, had no answer for UNC in the second. The effort UCLA put out in the first was gone and what we saw the night before against Michigan State had returned. The Bruins were hurried as they let too many shots connect from long distance and settled into a general malaise as the game went on.

Game Stats

  • UCLA: FG – 26/59 (44.1%) | 3FG – 10/22 (45.5%) | Rebs – 37 | Ast – 15 | Turnovers – 13
  • Kris Wilkes – 22 pts | Jaylen Hands – 14 pts, 9 asts
  • UNC: FG – 31/64 (48.4%) | 3FG – 11/23 (47.8) | Rebs – 37 | Ast – 21 | Turnovers – 6
  • Coby White – 19 pts, 4/7 3FG | Cameron Johnson – 14 pts, 7 rebs

North Carolina took the opposite route. They attacked the basket, got in the face of the Bruins, forced turnovers and profited from all of it.

And with that finish, UCLA returns to Westwood from a 0-2 Vegas trip with a 4-2 record.

Next. UCLA Basketball: The 25 Greatest Bruins of all time. dark

If this trip proved anything, it is that nothing has changed with Steve Alford at the helm, meaning that it will be a long season full of ups and downs and post-game pressers where the head coach finds some good in a 20-point loss, which might be more than expected this season.