UCLA whips Louisiana State to march to title game
Posted on: Saturday, 1 April 2006, 22:40 CST
By Steve Ginsburg
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - UCLA moved to within a game of its 12th national championship with a 59-45 victory over Louisiana State on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament semi-finals.
The Bruins will face Florida on Monday at the RCA Dome for the title after Florida, seeking its first championship, defeated George Mason 73-58 in the other semi-final.
UCLA, winning its 12th consecutive game, built a 39-24 lead by halftime to virtually snuff out LSU's hopes of making its first appearance in the title game.
The Bruins (32-6) shot 58 percent from the field before intermission while LSU could make only 30 percent of its shots, including a zero-for-three performance from three-point range.
LSU (27-9) had been in dominating form its last two games, upset wins over Duke and Texas, but wilted under the Bruins' defensive pressure.
UCLA, hoping to capture its first title since 1995, used a quick 7-0 run early in the game to stretch a one-point lead to 12-4 and set the tone for the pivotal first half.
A lay-up by freshman guard Darren Collison capped a 6-0 streak by UCLA moments later to stretch the lead to 31-16. LSU never closed the gap below 12 the rest of the game.
Freshman forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute paced UCLA with 17 points and nine rebounds while sophomore guard Jordan Farmar added 12 points.
Glen Davis scored 14 for LSU but the Tigers' leading scorer was held to five for 17 shooting from the floor and four for 10 from the free-throw line.
LSU shot just 32 percent from the field for the game and 46 percent from the line. The Tigers missed all six shots from beyond the arc.
A jam by senior center Ryan Hollins from an alley-oop pass by Farmar ended a 6-1 streak by UCLA to open the second half and give the Bruins a 45-25 lead.
UCLA has allowed only one opponent to score more than 60 points during its 12-game winning streak.
Source: REUTERS
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