Holiday good for Bruins in victory over Wildcats
NEW ORLEANS — UCLA guard Aaron Holiday delivered a steadying performance and a clutch finish in the same arena where his brother, Jrue Holiday, plays home games in the NBA, albeit to the disappointment of a decidedly pro-Kentucky crowd.
Holiday capped a 20-point performance with a pivotal driving scoop and two free throws in the final 33 seconds, and UCLA upset No. 7 Kentucky 83-75 on Saturday.
“It’s always special when you can play where your brother’s played,” Holiday said. “Obviously, he’s doing really well right now [with the New Orleans Pelicans], so that’s good. But just to get the win out here, it’s just awesome.”
Kris Wilkes also scored 20 points, and Thomas Welsh added 13 points and 11 rebounds for UCLA (9-3), which won for the seventh time in 15 meetings between the two historical college basketball powerhouses.
Bruins Coach Steve Alford thought the victory was an important step for a squad relying on freshmen like Wilkes and some returning players who didn’t see heavy minutes last season.
“It’s good for them to see that, you know what, we can win a game like this,” Alford said. “If we keep growing, we could be pretty good.”
Hamidou Diallo scored 18 points and Wenyen Gabriel added a season-high 16 points for Kentucky (9-2), which lost for the first time in eight games.
“We’re better than this,” said Kentucky Coach John Calipari, who harped on his players’ poor decision-making and inconsistent effort. “Maybe it was Christmas, but [UCLA] didn’t have that issue and they flew from across the country. They made shots they had to make. They made free throws they had to make.”
Kevin Knox had 15 points for Kentucky, but Kentucky didn’t shoot well overall. The Wildcats went 6 of 21 from three-point range and were outshot overall, 47.5 percent (29 of 61) to 42.6 percent (29 of 68).
Kentucky hit only 2 of 10 three-point shots in the first half.
Yet when Gabriel made the Wildcats’ second three-pointer 17 minutes into the game, Kentucky led 37-29.
But Jaylen Hands’ layup and Welsh’s three-pointer ignited what grew into a 21-2 Bruins run, putting UCLA ahead 50-39 early in the second half. Welsh and Prince Ali each hit two three-pointers during the pivotal surge.
Kentucky didn’t go down easily, though. Knox hit two three-pointers and a soaring baseline dunk during a 13-2 Kentucky spurt that tied it at 52-52. A poised Welsh again helped spark a UCLA spurt with a steady jump shot as the crowd urged on Kentucky’s defense, and the Bruins built their lead back to 12 on Holiday’s free throws before Kentucky made one last charge that came up short.
In other Top 25/SEC men’s games Saturday, Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson each scored 19 points, and No. 5 North
Carolina bounced back from a loss to Wofford with a convincing 86-72 victory over Ohio State. Pinson scored six points on flawless free throw shooting inside the final 1:06 of the game as the Tar Heels (11-2) kept the Buckeyes (104) at bay in the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans. … Jevon Carter and Sagaba Konate had double-doubles to lead No. 10 West Virginia over Fordham, 86-69. The Mountaineers (11-1) started out sluggish in the first half, unable to prevent Fordham (5-7) runs over the first seven minutes of the game but they were able to lead by 16 with four minutes left in the half. Carter had 10 points and a career-high 12 assists while Konate had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Mountaineers won their 11th consecutive. … Jordan Bowden scored 17 points and No. 21 Tennessee (9-2) shot 59 percent after halftime in a 79-60 victory over Wake
Forest. Keyshawn Woods scored 18 points for the Demon Deacons (7-5), who had won six consecutive. … Angel Delgado scored 15 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, Khadeen Carrington scored 15 and Desi Rodriguez added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for No. 23 Seton Hall in its 74-62 victory over Manhattan. The victory was the seventh in eight games for the Pirates (11-2). The Jaspers (5-7) were led by Zane Waterman who had 18 points. … Desean Murray and Mustapha Heron each scored 13 points and a balanced effort led Auburn to an 89-64 victory over Connecticut on Saturday. Auburn (11-1) never trailed in the game and led for the final 34-plus minutes for its ninth consecutive victory. Jalen Adams, UConn’s leading scorer at 18.6 points per game, scored 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting for the Huskies (75). … Xavian Stapleton scored 12 points on four three-pointers as Mississippi
State held off Southern Miss 70-64. The Bulldogs have now four in a row over Southern Miss and are off to their first 11-1 start since the 2011-2012 season. Mississippi State shot 52 percent from the field and outscored Southern Miss (7-6) 28-20 in the lane. Aric Holman, Nick Weatherspoon and Lamar Peterson added 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs. … Trent Frazier scored a career-high 22 points and Leron Black added 20 to lead
Illinois to a 70-64 victory over Missouri.
The Illini (9-5) have won five consecutive games in the annual pre-Christmas showdown. Kassius Robertson paced the Tigers (10-3) with 22 points. Jordan Barnett added 19 points and 10 rebounds.