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UCLA beats Wisconsin with buzzer-beater

By David Smale, The Sports Xchange

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Aaron Holiday hit a layup with 0.9 seconds left to lift No. 23 UCLA past Wisconsin 72-70 in the consolation game of the 2017 CBE Hall of Fame Classic on Tuesday night at Sprint Center.

Holiday led the Bruins with 18 points. He was joined in double-figures by Gyorgy Goloman and Thomas Welsh with 11 points each, and Jaylen Hands and Prince Ali with 10 each.

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UCLA (4-1) found its pace early in the second half. The Bruins outscored the Badgers 21-6 in the first 6:12 of the half to turn a seven-point deficit into a 52-44 lead.

Wisconsin (2-3) responded with a 16-1 run to retake the lead at 62-57.

UCLA answered to tie the score at 67-67 with just over 2:00 remaining. Holiday hit a 3-point shot with 44 seconds left to give UCLA a 70-67 edge. Wisconsin's D'Mitrik Trice hit a layup with 33 seconds left to cut the lead to 70-69. The Badgers stole the inbounds pass, and Khalil Iverson was fouled going up for the dunk. Iverson hit one of two to tie the score with 30 seconds left.

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UCLA held the ball for the final shot, which Holiday sank.

The Badgers were led by Ethan Happ with 19 points. Trice, Iverson and Brad Davison each had 14.

The two teams slogged through the first half at Wisconsin's pace. Neither side led by more than three points before the four-minute mark of the half. The Badgers went ahead early with a 12-0 run to break open a 26-26 game. The Bruins scored the last five points of the half to make it respectable at 38-31.

Both teams shot relatively well, with Wisconsin connecting at 51.7 percent and the Bruins at 50 percent for the half.

Wisconsin finished shooting 48.1 percent from the field, while the Bruins wound up shooting 54 percent.

NOTES: Wisconsin was playing its third ranked opponent in a row. The Badgers played No. 15 Xavier on Thursday, losing 80-70. On Monday night, they lost to No. 25 Baylor 70-65. ... Six different Badgers have scored at least 12 points in a game this season. ... UCLA holds a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, though the two schools had not met in 22 years. ... The UCLA freshman trio of LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill remain suspended. They were arrested last week on suspicion of stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store while the Bruins were in Hangzhou, China. ... The Bruins won the first of their 11 NCAA titles in Kansas City (Municipal Auditorium) in 1964.

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