Top-ranked and No. 1-seeded Florida is going to its fourth consecutive Elite Eight in the NCAA basketball tournament.
UCLA is going home to Westwood for the fourth time since 2006 after meeting the Gators in the NCAA tournament, this time getting beat, 79-68.
The Gators did exactly what they needed to do in a South Regional semifinal at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. They beat the Bruins on the boards, limited the damage inflicted by UCLA star Kyle Anderson, and scored from outside.
Florida outscored UCLA from three-point range, 24-9, led by Michael Frazier II, who made five of eight three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points.
The Gators also held a 40-30 rebounding edge in winning their 29th consecutive game.
Anderson scored 11 points, had a team-high nine rebounds and finished with five assists but was slowed by foul trouble and a tough Florida defense throughout the game.
And so the Gators and Coach Billy Donovan continued their mastery of UCLA, eliminating the Bruins from the NCAA tournament for the fourth time since 2006.
Florida, the top-seeded team overall in the NCAA tournament, improved to 35-2. The Gators haven't lost since December.
UCLA finished its first season under Coach Steve Alford with a record of 28-9.
Florida will meet Dayton in the South Regional final on Saturday. Dayton, seeded 11th in the region, defeated Stanford earlier today.
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Florida pulls away and UCLA reels the Gators back in.
But the Bruins are running out of time.
Florida leads, 70-63, with 1:35 left in regulation.
Scottie Wilbekin has found his scoring touch in crunch time. He has seven points in the last four minutes, 12 in the game.
UCLA needs some three-point baskets, but the Bruins are only three-of-16 from three-point range tonight.
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Scottie Wilbekin, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, is looking like it.
He hit a three-pointer and then came back with another bucket plus a free throw to give Florida a 66-55 lead with about five and a half minutes left in regulation.
Wilbekin has 10 points.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1hBfUXc
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