UCLA
3-1
Creighton
4-0
No. 23 UCLA Falls to Creighton, 100-89
November 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. โ Aaron Holiday scored a career-high 25 points as No. 23 UCLA lost to Creighton, 100-89,ย in a semifinal contest of the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center on Monday.
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Holiday, who shot 8 of 17 from the field, was one of four Bruins to score in double figures.
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Prince Ali scored a career-best 18 points, connecting on 5 of 9 shots off the bench. Thomas Welsh registered his third double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) in as many games, and Kris Wilkes added 15 points in the Bruins' first loss of the season.
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Creighton's Marcus Foster totaled 23 points and teammate Mitch Ballock tallied 22 points off the bench, making 4 of 9 attempts from three-point range.
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Creighton (4-0) overcame an early 13-8 deficit midway through the first half by using a 16-0 scoring run to secure a 24-13 lead. UCLA (3-1) twice trailed by 11 points before the break, only to tie the game (30-30) on a jump shot by Welsh with just under six minutes to go.
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The Bluejays, out of the Big East Conference, entered the locker room at halftime with a 43-38 cushion. Creighton closed the opening half on a 7-0 scoring run, scoring its final four points in the final 53 seconds.
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UCLA never led in the second half, closing what had been a 12-point gap with 7:37 remaining to a five-point margin. Wilkes' jumper at the 5:39 mark reduced Creighton's cushion to 86-81, but the Bruins were unable to pull any closer.
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Khyri Thomas hit one of two free throws before Creighton's Martin Krampelj knocked down a pair of free throws to send the Bluejays ahead by eight points โ 89-81.
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Holiday got to the free throw line and made both of his attempts with 2:43 remaining, slicing Creighton's advantage to 93-87.
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UCLA will return to action against Wisconsin (2-2) in the tournament's third-place game on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Game time is 4:30 p.m. (PT)/6:30 p.m. (CT). The Bruins' contest in Kansas City, Mo., will be televised online via ESPN3.com.
