Regional Final [3/25/06]

Oakland Region – Regional Final: Playing in front of a pro-Bruin crowd in Oakland, No. 2 UCLA knocked off No. 1 Memphis 50-45 to advance to the team’s first Final Four in 11 years. The story of the game was defense and fouls as UCLA held the Tigers to 31 percent shooting from the field. UCLA also drew 29 fouls, including four on Rodney Carney, who played fewer minutes than expected because of foul trouble. When he was in the game, Carney struggled to hit any shots, scoring only five points. Although the Bruins had an opportunity to blow out Memphis, UCLA was awful from the free throw line for much of the game. At one point, the Bruins had converted only 6-of-21 attempts. But they made 14 of their last 18 attempts to build a lead and keep Memphis at bay. Arron Afflalo led UCLA with 15 points, nine of which came from the free throw line. Memphis’ youth finally showed in the NCAA Tournament as the Tigers made several mistakes indicative of the team’s lack of big game experience. UCLA will play LSU in the national semifinals Saturday. [3/25/06]