The #7 seed UCLA Bruins are imposing their will on the 10th-seeded Michigan State Spartans in their second-round Southeast Regional matchup at the St. Pete Times Forum. Defying their March inexperience (no one on the Bruins’ roster had ever scored a point in an NCAA Tournament game), UCLA dominated in the paint and used some tenacious defense to take a 42-24 halftime lead.
The Bruins pounded the ball inside on offense, getting many short baskets and 19 trips to the free throw line in the first half. They outrebounded Michigan State 21-10, forced eight turnovers, and set up the Spartans for some foul trouble issues if they can even get manage to back into the game.
UCLA was led by Tyler Honeycutt with nine points, while Reeves Nelson added eight points and seven rebounds. Michigan State’s Durrell Summers leads all scorers with 12, but the big story was the job UCLA’s defense, led by Malcolm Lee, did on guard Kalin Lucas. Lucas was 0-for-8 from the field and scored no points in the first half.