UCLA offense dominant in upset win over No. 1 Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 11 UCLA ended Kentucky’s 42-game home winning streak by scoring more points against Kentucky than any team has since John Calipari became the Wildcats’ coach.

The Bruins, ranked number one offensively in the nation, scored 97 points and shot 53 percent to upset No. 1 Kentucky. Senior guard Isaac Hamilton led the way with 19 points while freshman T.J. Leaf stole the show with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

“What (T.J.) Leaf did, he basically dominated the game,” Calipari said after. “Straight line drives, rebounds, making shots. We let him a couple times. He played.”

Lonzo Ball, UCLA’s star freshman that was expected to take the headlines instead of Leaf, was held scoreless for nearly the entire first half. He drilled a three-pointer with four seconds left in the half to jumpstart a performance which ended in 14 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

As a team, UCLA connected on 10 3-pointers and shot 43 percent from beyond the arc. Six players entered the game averaging double-figures in scoring, and six players walked out of Rupp Arena with double-digit points after the win. The Wildcats entered the game as one of the top defensive units in the country, but UCLA’s offense showed flaws in Kentucky’s defense.

“To come into this building and do what they did to us, they manhandled us,” Calipari said. “They physically manhandled us. You don’t see that very often, especially in this building.”

Kentucky senior Derek Willis called the Wildcats' defense "disappointing."

"If you give them open threes then they are going to knock them down," Willis said. "We just have to crack down on them and constantly be more aware of that. Every possession matters. You have to have plays like that because when it comes down to March Madness or the SEC Tournament, those plays will cost you the game."

Kentucky forced 18 turnovers, six of those from Ball, but that was the lone negative in UCLA’s offensive performance.

“I can’t be more proud of our team coming into here with this environment and playing a team like this,” UCLA coach Steve Alford said. “We’ll take this back. It’s a huge win for us.”