SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Northwestern’s season came to an end Saturday night, as the team fell 68-63 to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament’s 2nd round.
The Wildcats, trailing by 13 points early in the second half, nearly rallied to secure the program’s first ever Sweet 16 berth.
But, Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 24 points and UCLA withstood their second-half push.
The second-seeded Bruins (31-5) turned up the defensive intensity late, holding the seventh-seeded Wildcats to 1-for-12 shooting during a key late-game stretch to seal the win.
“We started getting up, switching up into them, bringing up the pressure again like in the first half,” Jaquez said. “I think we shied away from it (early) in the second half with just light switching. I think we picked it up a lot more.”
UCLA made it to a third straight Sweet 16 for the first time in 15 years. The Bruins will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Gonzaga and TCU in the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas, on Thursday night.
Amari Bailey added 14 points and Tyger Campbell scored 12 for UCLA.
Boo Buie scored 18 points to lead Northwestern (22-12), Matthew Nicholson added 17 and Chase Audige scored all 16 of his points in the second half.
“I wasn’t surprised the way we played in the second half because that’s what these guys have been, that’s what our team has been all year long,” coach Chris Collins said. “We have a fighter’s spirit. ... I could not have been prouder of my guys.”
The Wildcats ended their second trip to the tournament in the same fashion as the first six years ago, losing in the second round.
They put up a good fight against the more tournament-tested Bruins and had a chance until going cold from the field late in the game.
The key moment came in the final two minutes when Adem Bona blocked a drive by Audige, sending UCLA out in transition. David Singleton hit the 3-pointer that put the Bruins up 62-56 with 1:50 to play.
UCLA controlled the game early and built the big lead by neutralizing Northwestern's high-scoring backcourt of Buie and Audige and getting Jaquez out in transition.
Buie finally made his first basket of the game with a drive just before the buzzer to cut UCLA's lead to 35-25 at the break.
Audige got going in the second half with 14 points in the first eight minutes. The Wildcats tied it at 45 when Buie was credited with a basket on a goaltending call midway through the half.
But they couldn't close the deal.
“This is what we wanted, an eight-minute fight," Collins said. "Give UCLA credit. Every time we made a run, they made big plays.”
BIG PICTURE
Northwestern: The Wildcats followed up their first tournament appearance with losing records the next five seasons. Collins got them back into second place in the Big Ten in the regular season and now looks to build from there.
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