National Basketball Association
UCLA 74, Texas A&M 67
When: 8:30 PM ET, Sunday, November 27, 2016
Where: Titan Gym, Fullerton, California
Officials:
# Tom Eades, # Tony Padilla, # Ted Valentine
Attendance:
4221
By The Sports Xchange
Fourteenth-ranked UCLA was pushed and shoved and tested in new ways, but still the Bruins prevailed, beating Texas A&M 74-67 in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy tournament Sunday evening at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
All-tournament selection Isaac Hamilton had 17 points and seven rebounds for UCLA (7-0), which claimed its first in-season tournament title since 2007. Tournament MVP Lonzo Ball had 16 points and 10 assists.
T.J. Leaf posted 13 points and nine rebounds for UCLA. Bryce Alford also had 13 points.
Admon Gilder tied his career high with 17 points for Texas A&M (4-2). Tyler Davis, another all-tournament selection, had 16 points and eight rebounds.
Robert Williams scored 12 points for the Aggies. Tonny Trocha-Morelos had 11 points and nine rebounds. Texas A&M scoring leader D.J. Hogg, who went into the contest averaging nearly 16 points per game, was held to eight points on 4-of-18 shooting.
The Bruins trailed by one with 3:28 remaining, but they took a 65-63 lead on a 3-pointer by Ball. In key situations in the decisive final minutes, Alford made a 3-pointer and four clutch free throws while Hamilton had two defensive rebounds and a blocked shot.
"With five minutes left in the game, these guys learned how to go take the win," UCLA coach Steve Alford said. "That is exciting, when you're coaching a new group like that, because we are still a new team. Down the stretch, they were terrific."
Texas A&M tried to pound the ball inside using a big front line. The Bruins wanted to push the pace. They went into the game averaging 100.7 points per game.
The Aggies succeeded in dictating the tempo early. The Bruins took nearly 90 seconds to score, fell behind 11-2 on a 3-pointer by Trocha-Morelos and didn't get their second basket until Leaf made a jumper nearly five minutes into the opening period.
UCLA battled back to take a 21-18 lead on a 3-pointer by Hamilton. The Bruins later went up by five on another basket by Hamilton. The Aggies briefly reclaimed the lead, but the Bruins led 35-34 at the break after Ball made a 3-pointer in the final minute.
UCLA went up by nine on a 3-pointer by Bryce Alford early in the second half. Texas A&M came back to take a 51-50 lead on a 3-pointer by Trocha-Morelos and a 63-62 lead on a 3-pointer by Gilder, but the Bruins demonstrated resiliency.
Bryce Alford and Leaf made big baskets, Hamilton made big plays on the defensive end, and Alford made four crucial free throws in the final 37 seconds.
"UCLA showed how good they really are," Texas A&M coach Bill Kennedy said. "(Alford, Ball and Hamilton) really gave us problems. Thought we had some bad possessions, but a lot of it had to do with UCLA. I was really impressed with their poise on the perimeter. We had a hard time guarding those guys."
UCLA shot 47.5 percent from the field, made 12 of 26 from 3-point range and outrebounded Texas A&M 42-36. The Aggies shot 40 percent and made just 7 of 22 from beyond the arc.
NOTES: UCLA G Lonzo Ball, who was leading the nation with nine assists per game going into the contest, is on the watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award. ... In the first two games of the tournament, Texas A&M F D.J. Hogg averaged 21 points on 64 percent shooting from the field and 66.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. ... The Aggies were vying for their first in-season tournament title since winning the NIT Season Tip-Off in 2007.
Top Game Performances
| Texas A&M |
|
UCLA |
|
Admon Gilder 17 |
Scoring |
Isaac Hamilton 17 |
|
DJ Hogg 4 |
Assists |
Lonzo Ball 10 |
|
Tonny Trocha-Morelos 9 |
Rebounds |
TJ Leaf 9 |
|
Robert Williams 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Bryce Alford 5 |
|
Tyler Davis 3 |
Steals |
Bryce Alford 2 |
|
Robert Williams 3 |
Blocks |
Lonzo Ball 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Texas A&M
|
67 |
40.0 |
7-22 |
8-15 |
15 |
32 |
3 |
9 |
12 |
| UCLA
|
74 |
47.5 |
12-26 |
6-13 |
19 |
37 |
8 |
6 |
15 |
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