The Ucla Bruins have reached the Sweet 16 stage of the 2017 NCAA Tournament after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sunday. The Bruins handed a 12-point loss to the Bearcats in the South-Region second-round on their way to progressing at the March Madness event 79-67. After beating the Kent State Golden Flashes on Friday 97-80, UCLA has earned its second double-digit win of the tournament.
The turning point in the game
The UCLA Bruins didn't have an easy job against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the South-Region second-round. It was a tight encounter, and the Bearcats were motivated to crush the Bruins.
The turning point came in the second half, when Cincinnati had a 47-46 lead over UCLA. The Bruins hit three straight threes, Lonzo Ball two and Bryce Alford one, to go on a 9-0 run which gave them a 55-47 lead. After that moment, the university from L.A. never looked back and clinched the win.
UCLA's Lonzo Ball comes up big
UCLA Bruins star Lonzo Ball had a great game when needed most -- at an NCAA Tournament game. The freshman scored 18 points on an excellent shooting, 4-of-7 from the three-point line and 7-of-10 from the field overall. He also added nine assists and seven rebounds in 38 minutes of action.
Other than Ball, four other UCLA starters finished the game in double-digits. Bryce Alford collected 16 points, TJ Leaf and Thomas Welsh both had an 11-point performance, while Isaac Hamilton added 10 points.
Overall, it was a good outting from the Bruin starting-five lineup.
All set up for a great match-up
Next up for the UCLA Bruins will be the Kentucky Wildcats, who defeated the Wichita State Shockers 65-62 to progress in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The two universities met once this season -- at Rupp Arena, Kentucky -- where UCLA defeated the home team 97-92 to clinch the victory.
Both teams are eyeing to make it all the way and a great match-up is in front of us. It remains to be seen if UCLA can continue its good form at the tournament and notch a third straight victory when they meet Kentucky on Friday.
