The UCLA Bruins cruised in overtime to defeat second seed Alabama Crimson Tide 88-78 in a thrilling game on Sunday. The Bruins were led by guard John Petty’s 16 points, five rebounds and an assist as the 11th seed advanced to their first regional final since 2008.
UCLA dances through overtime and into the Elite 8! pic.twitter.com/qikcifYvFb
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 29, 2021
It was a game full of runs—when it looked like the Bruins were set to win the game, the Crimson Tide caught up late in the fourth quarter. The shot of the night for Crimson Tide was from forward Alex Reese who sent the game to overtime after scoring from near half court.
However, the lower-seeded Bruins proved to be the more powerful team after a lopsided overtime victory. The Bruins’ defense and smart playmaking sets made up for their cold shooting late in the second half.
Alex THREESE!!
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 29, 2021
The California-based squad then scored all the first seven points in the free ball period thanks to David Singleton’s three pointer and Tyger Campbell’s steal and layup attempt. The Crimson Tide didn’t get to punch back hard, proving that the Bruins were the stronger team.
Alabama was led by Jahvon Quinerly's 20 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds but it was sadly not enough. The Bruins shot 34 percent from the field and only had eight turnovers compared to Crimson Tide’s 14. They also shot a near perfect 80 percent from three line compared to their opponent’s 44 percent.
FIRST #ELITE8 SINCE 2008! 👏@UCLAMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/DJ4OlgnWEI
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2021
The 11th seed UCLA Bruins, who have a record of 21-9 will need all the willpower they can use against top-seeded Michigan (23-4) on Tuesday.
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