In a significant misstep during the NCAA tournament, UCF center John Bol inadvertently scored an own basket, contributing to his team's first-round loss to UCLA, 75-71. This blunder occurred just before halftime and highlighted Bol's struggles throughout the game, where he finished with only two points and missed all five of his free throw attempts. The incident underscored the high stakes of March Madness, as UCF fought back from a double-digit deficit but ultimately fell short, while UCLA advanced to face UConn in the next round.
In March Madness , it often comes down to the little things, but for UCF center John Bol, his blunder was not a little thing: he scored on his own basket. In the first half of No. 7 UCL A’s 75-71 win over No. 10 UCF on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center, Bol tapped a rebound into his own basket. With just under two minutes left in the first half and the shot clock winding down, UCLA guard Donovan Dent shot a desperation 3-pointer. Bol, instead of corralling Dent’s miss and turning the other way, tapped the ball into his basket to increase UCLA’s lead to 35-21. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM The points were not credited to a UCLA player. It was the beginning of a rough night for Bol, who went 0-5 from the free throw line with an unorthodox free-throw motion. The 7-foot-2 center scored two points on the night, contributing as many points to his own team as he did to the other team. Bol’s own basket was not the only odd event during the game, as UCLA guard Skyy Clark also lost a tooth during the game. UCLA'S SKYY CLARK LOSES FRONT TOOTH IN MARCH MADNESS THRILLER TO HELP BRUINS SEAL FIRST-ROUND VICTORY UCF made it close late, erasing a double-digit deficit from the first half, but was not able to cap off the comeback, adding more significance to Bol’s own basket. Jordan Burks led UCF in the loss with 22 points and six rebounds. Jamichael Stillwell (10 points), Themus Fulks (10 points) and Riley Kugel (13 points) were the only other players to score in double figures in the loss. Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points and five rebounds, while Trent Perry and Xavier Booker each had 15 points in the win. UCLA will play No. 2 seed UConn in the Round of 32 on Sunday at 8:45 p.m. ET. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter .
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.foxnews.com
University of Central Florida, University of California, Los Angeles, Wells Fargo Center, Fox News Digital
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University of Central Florida: The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university that fields a men's basketball team competing in NCAA Division I.
University of California, Los Angeles: The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public research university that fields a men's basketball team competing in NCAA Division I.
Wells Fargo Center: Wells Fargo Center is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that hosted the NCAA March Madness game between UCF and UCLA.
Fox News Digital: Fox News Digital is a news organization that provides sports coverage, including reporting on NCAA March Madness events.
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