University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
3-1
Creighton
4-0
No. 23 UCLA Falls to Creighton, 100-89
November 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Aaron Holiday scored a career-high 25 points as No. 23 UCLA lost to Creighton, 100-89, in a semifinal contest of the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center on Monday.
Holiday, who shot 8 of 17 from the field, was one of four Bruins to score in double figures.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 – 89-81.
Holiday got to the free throw line and made both of his attempts with 2:43 remaining, slicing Creighton's advantage to 93-87.
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.
