UCLA Basketball: Bruins get the Pac-12 tourney win, but lose Singleton

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: Head coach Murry Bartow of the UCLA Bruins on the sideline during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: Head coach Murry Bartow of the UCLA Bruins on the sideline during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

I’m The UCLA basketball team got a very spirited win over Stanford in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, but they unfortunately lose freshman David Singleton who broke his foot at the end of the contest.

The UCLA basketball team almost played a complete game as they dominated Stanford for 3/4 of the Pac-12 Tournament first round contest. Even though the Cardinal came roaring back late in the game, the Bruins were able to hold off the charge, get the win and move onto the quarterfinals.

Yes, UCLA once again let their foot up off the gas after halftime as they were in possession of a comfortable 24-point lead at one part of the game. But as they aught to do, they eased up a little bit which was enough for Stanford to make a late push.

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Luckily, the Bruins still had enough left in the tank and held off the potential comeback. Unfortunately, the Bruins did end up losing an important part of their lineup as David Singleton broke his foot while trying to defend a three point shot attempt in the final minutes of the game.

This is a big loss for UCLA as Singleton is arguably the one Bruin that brings the most effort every single night. Not only does he contribute a lot of energy to the team, but he has also become one of the Pac-12’s best three-point shooters. That will definitely leave a hole in the Bruins’ offense going forward. Singleton ended the night with eight points and six rebounds.

The Bruins were led by Jaylen Hands who had a big game after being a ghost in the last game against Utah. Hands got hot early as he was very aggressive when driving to the basket, primarily in the first half. He ended the game with 22 points and 11 assists.

Chris Smith also had a big game as he was nearly perfect from the field, hitting 6/7 shots tonight and finished with 14 points. UCLA also had a huge game from Jalen Hill who came off the bench to score 12 points and grab 10 rebounds.

This is good momentum heading into the rest of the tournament but to be honest, the Bruins chances of going far in this tourney have greatly decreased after getting word that Singleton is out. We will see how UCLA performs in the next game as they take on Arizona State in the quarterfinals at 6 PM on Thursday.

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