Holiday, UCLA surprise No. 7 Kentucky
NEW ORLEANS — UCLA guard Aaron Holiday delivered a steadying performance and a clutch finish to a made-for-TV holiday weekend event.
And he did it 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 these 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.
Hamidou Diallo scored 18 points, and Wenyen Gabriel added a seasonhigh 16 for Kentucky (9-2), which lost for the first time in eight games.
Kevin Knox had 15 points for Kentucky on an array of perimeter shots and slashing dunks, but Kentucky didn’t shoot well overall. The Wildcats went 6-of-21 from 3-point range and were outshot overall, 47.5 percent (29-of-61) to 42.6 percent (29-of-68).
Kentucky hit only two of 10 3s in the first half.
Yet when Gabriel made the Wildcats’ second 3-pointer 17 minutes into the game, Kentucky led 37-29.
But Jaylen Hands’ layup and Welsh’s 3 ignited what grew into a 21-2 Bruins run, putting UCLA ahead 50-39 early in the second half. Welsh and Ali each hit two 3s during the pivotal surge.
Kentucky didn’t go down easily, though. Knox hit two 3s and a soaring baseline dunk during a 13-2 Kentucky spurt that tied it at 52 and spiked the volume of the crowd at the CBS Sports Classic.
But 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. NORTH CAROLINA 86 OHIO ST. 72
Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson each scored 19 points, and the No. 5 Tar Heels bounced back from a loss to Wofford with a convincing victory over the Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic at New Orleans.
Pinson scored six points on flawless freethrow shooting inside the final 1:06 of the game as North Carolina (11-2) kept Ohio State (10-4) at bay. WEST VIRGINIA 86 FORDHAM 69
Jevon Carter picked up his second doubledouble of the season with 10 points and 12 assists to lead the No. 10 Mountaineers past the Rams in Morgantown, W.Va.
West Virginia (11-1) started out a little sluggish in the first half, unable to prevent Fordham runs over the first 7 minutes of the game.
James Bolden and Sagaba Konate led a couple of WVU scoring runs before halftime to stretch the lead as high as 16 points over the Rams (5-7) with four minutes remaining before halftime. TENNESSEE 79 WAKE FOREST 60
Jordan Bowden scored 17 points, and the No. 21 Volunteers shot 59 percent after halftime to beat the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Volunteers (9-2) led by one at the half but took control by scoring on seven of 10 possessions coming out of the break. That pushed Tennessee to a 52-43 lead, a margin that never slipped to fewer than five as the Demon Deacons (7-5) struggled for a sustained push. SETON HALL 74 MANHATTAN 62
Angel Delgado scored 15 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and Khadeen Carrington scored 15 to lead the No. 23 Pirates (11-2) to a victory over the Jaspers at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. BYU 73, TSU 52
In Provo, Utah, Yoeli Childs scored 12 of his 19 points in the final seven minutes as the Cougars (11-2) used two big secondhalf runs to pull away for a win over the Tigers.
Lamont Walker had 16 points, Donte Clark scored 15 and Marquis Salmon 10 for Texas Southern (0-13), which has yet to play a home game. NORTH CAROLINA A&T 74 LAMAR 70
Femi Olujobi scored 21 points with nine rebounds, Davaris McGowens added 16 points, and the Aggies (7-7) held off a late flurry from the Cardinals for a victory and the consolation championship of the “visitor bracket” in the Las Vegas Classic.
Colton Weisbrod had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Lamar (8-5).
From wire reports