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No. 2 Kentucky knocks out No. 3 UCLA in battle of freshmen to reach Elite 8

Nancy Armour
USA TODAY Sports

MEMPHIS — Kentucky got the win when it mattered.

Kentucky Wildcats guard De'Aaron Fox (0) shoots against the UCLA Bruins in the first half during the semifinals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum.

De’Aaron Fox made his first five shots and finished with a career-high 39 points, and Malik Monk scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half Friday night as the Wildcats avenged a December loss to UCLA with a 86-75 victory in the Sweet 16. Kentucky now plays top-seeded North Carolina on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.

T.J. Leaf had another big game against Kentucky, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. But it wasn’t enough for the Bruins, who lost in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years under coach Steve Alford.

The Bruins haven’t gotten past the Sweet 16 since 2008, their last trip to the Final Four, and it’s been more than 20 years — 1995, to be exact — since their last title.

BOX SCORE:  Wildcats 86, Bruins 75

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Kentucky vs. UCLA at Rupp Arena in December was a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it glimpse at the game’s fabulous freshman — Fox, Monk, Bam Adebayo and Lonzo Ball — and they didn’t disappoint. The rematch was better.

At least on the Kentucky side.

After struggling with his shot in the first game, Fox came out firing Friday, letting everyone know this was his game to lose and he had no intention of doing so. He had 15 in the first half, carrying the Wildcats while Adebayo struggled and Monk took time to heat up.

Monk finally got on track with less than three minutes left in the first half, following a pull-up jumper with a three-pointer. His hot streak continued in the second half with a run of four consecutive baskets, two of them threes.

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The second three gave Kentucky a 50-44 lead, and the Wildcats seemed poised to pull away. But a three-pointer by Bryce Alford cut the lead to 50-49.

After a jumper by Dominique Hawkins, the Wildcats finally broke the Bruins for good. Adebayo had turned the ball over, but Hawkins got it right back, poking it away from Aaron Holiday. He fed Fox, who scored on the driving layup and drew the foul.

Fox converted the three-point play to put Kentucky up 55-49, and UCLA was never a serious threat again.

The win was extra sweet for John Calipari, coaching his first game in Memphis since he left for Kentucky in 2010. Though he elevated the Tigers to one of the game’s elite programs — his 2008 team went 38-2 and made it to the Final Four, an appearance that was later vacated — he’s still Public Enemy No. 1 for some in Memphis if the loud chorus of boos when he was introduced is any indication.

The memory won’t be quite as good for Ball, who is likely headed to the NBA having been a non-factor in his biggest game at UCLA. Though Ball had eight assists, several of which surely got the attention of Los Angeles Lakers head Magic Johnson, he had only 10 points and missed several clutch shots.

SWEET 16 HIGHLIGHTS

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