UCLA rolls to another first-round March Madness win, 72-47 over Utah State
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. each scored 14 points and No. 7 seed UCLA routed 10th-seeded Utah State 72-47 on Thursday night to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.
Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 reserve center, added 10 points for coach Mick Cronin's Bruins (23-10), who will face second-seeded Tennessee on Saturday in the Midwest Region as they seek their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the past five editions of March Madness. The Volunteers also cruised to an easy win, 77-62 over Wofford.
Mason Falslev scored 17 points and Deyton Albury had 12 for Utah State (26-8), which reached its third consecutive NCAA Tournament — this time under Jarrod Calhoun, the Aggies' third coach in that span.
UCLA broke the game open by holding the Mountain West school to just two free throws in a 12-2 run for a 39-27 halftime advantage. Then the Bruins had a 17-7 surge early in the second half to build a 20-point lead.
The Bruins finished at 48% from the field after shooting 55% in the first half. They made 10 of 24 3-pointers, eight of 10 players scored, and they had 22 assists on 26 baskets.
Utah State shot 30% while committing 11 turnovers, leading to 20 UCLA points.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Gary B. Graves, The Associated Press
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