UCLA rallies to beat Akron and advance in the NCAA tournament

The primary cease on the highway again to the Remaining 4 regarded like a useless finish.

Outhustled and outplayed by a faster and extra fearless workforce, UCLA stared at a fast exit within the NCAA event.

Tyger Campbell stared again and didn’t blink.

Coolly sinking shot after shot, the poker-faced level guard rallied his workforce from the brink of opening-round embarrassment in opposition to Akron whereas going through an eight-point deficit with lower than eight minutes to play. There was a three-pointer from the nook. A midrange jumper. Lastly, and most improbably, an NBA-range three-pointer on a damaged play on the finish of the shot clock.

“We didn’t actually have a shot,” Campbell stated afterward.

They discovered one when Jaime Jaquez Jr. tossed the ball again to his teammate, who glanced on the dwindling shot clock and knew he needed to let the ball fly.

It went in and the fourth-seeded Bruins have been on the way in which to a 57-53 comeback victory over the 13^th-seeded Zips on Thursday evening on the Moda Heart.

Lastly exhibiting some emotion when the comeback was full, Campbell shook his fists earlier than getting mobbed by jubilant teammates. UCLA’s smallest participant had come up large, Campbell scoring eight of his workforce’s remaining 10 factors because the Bruins closed the sport on an 18-6 run.

“We didn’t panic,” stated UCLA guard Jules Bernard, who added 10 factors. “We’ve been in these positions earlier than final yr within the event, additionally all through our seasons. So we all know what that feeling is like, and we simply attempt to keep composed as finest as potential and know that our effort and toughness would pull us by.”

The Bruins (26-7) will play fifth-seeded St. Mary’s within the second spherical on Saturday afternoon after the Gaels whipped Indiana by 29 factors earlier Thursday.

Campbell’s three-pointer on the finish of the shot clock pushed UCLA right into a 55-51 lead with 1:16 left, incomes him a hand slap fromJaquez and a chest bump from Peyton Watson on the way in which to the timeout huddle.

There was some remaining drama. After UCLA’s Jaylen Clark missed the entrance finish of a one-and-one free-throw alternative and the Zips made a layup to tug inside 55-53, they bought the ball again after Jaquez missed a turnaround jumper with 15 seconds left.

Akron’s Ali Ali drove towards the basket, the place UCLA’s Cody Riley used his left hand to dam the shot. Bruins guard Johnny Juzang grabbed the rebound with 4 seconds to go, was fouled and made two free throws to safe a victory that served as the very best current on his 21^st birthday.

Campbell completed with 10 of his 16 factors within the second half and Jaquez added 15 factors, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the Bruins, who received regardless of making simply 35.2% of their photographs. They prevailed largely as a result of they dedicated solely two turnovers after a sloppy first half.

Campbell’s three-pointer from the nook pulled UCLA inside 51-50 and after Bernard drew an offensive foul, flexing in celebration, Campbell gave the Bruins a 52-51 lead with a midrange jumper.

In its illustrious historical past, UCLA had misplaced solely twice to a 13^th-seeded workforce, struggling that destiny in 1991 in opposition to Penn State and in 1996 in opposition to Princeton.

Akron (24-10) appeared on the point of handing UCLA extra heartache heading into the timeout huddle with 7:54 left. Zips guard Xavier Castaneda (18 factors) had simply made back-to-back three-pointers and teammate Greg Tribble adopted by flipping in a layup whereas falling down and getting fouled by Clark. Tribble made the ensuing free throw to push Akron’s result in 47-39.

A reminder of the potential for enormous upsets was offered throughout warmups
when the ultimate moments of 15^th-seeded St. Peter’s conquer second-seeded Kentucky on the opposite facet of the East Area bracket was proven on the scoreboard, eliciting loud roars from followers as a number of Bruins gazed on the display.

“That’s March for you proper there,” Jaquez stated. “It occurs yearly, groups get upset. And we have been watching that sport considering to ourselves that may’t be us tonight.”

UCLA coach Mick Cronin had talked about exhibiting humility together with his workforce getting into its postseason opener as 13 1/2-point favorites, however the Bruins have been solely humbled on the way in which to a 26-25 halftime deficit.

At that time, the Zips have been successful throughout the board, capturing 37% to the Bruins’ 32% whereas committing one fewer turnover and grabbing yet one more rebound.

The day began on an upbeat notice for UCLA. The college introduced a brand new six-year contract for Cronin that may preserve him on the college by the 2027-28 season and is anticipated to make him the highest-paid coach within the Pac-12.

However there was a foul signal — actually — on a tv halftime present earlier when host Ernie Johnson requested Charles Barkley to pronounce Jaquez’s full identify and Barkley bought it proper … however the placard Johnson was holding spelled Jaquez’s first identify “Jamie.”

Just like the Bruins, it was only a bit off till Campbell made every thing proper.