Western Kentucky-UCLA: first half

Xavier had a 28-10 lead, lost it, then used a clutch B.J. Raymond three-pointer with 31.3 seconds to go and some horrific West Virginia foul shooting in overtime to advance to the NCAA West Regional final with a 79-75 win in the opening game of tonight's doubleheader in Phoenix. Xavier's Josh Duncan had a career-high 26 points for the Musketeers.

Although Washington State got hammered by North Carolina, 68-47, in the East Regional semifinal, the Cougars  held the Tar Heels to 42.5 points under their NCAA Tournament average coming in. North Carolina shot 43.1% from the field for the game, but the Cougars managed only 31.6% shooting and a miserable 2-16 from three-point range.

Now, about the Bruin game:

>> If you look at the players on the floor, this game looks like a rout waiting to happen. But UCLA is missing layups and is 2-8 from the floor, so it's only 7-4 with 15:50 to play in the half. Worse, the Bruins are just 3-6 from the foul line, thanks to misses by Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Kevin Love. Coach Ben Howland could tear his hair out, but there isn't much left.

>> One positive, noted by reader PRH: CBS' Verne Lundquist pronounced "Mbah a Moute" perfectly.

>> Shipp drove the middle and passed to Love for a score to give UCLA an 11-8 lead. He could do more of that and change his persona on the floor; maybe that will relax him and help his outside shot.

>> With 11:37 to play, the Bruins have just a 15-13 lead, thanks to 6-15 shooting (40%) and 0-4 from the three-point line. The Hilltoppers are only 4-11, but 2-3 from long distance . . . and they have five turnovers. UCLA not only doesn't look sharp, the Bruins don't look interested and that's a problem.

>> If you're wondering about the small Arizona State Sun Devils logos on the floor, ASU is the "host" school for this regional.

>> A 7-0 UCLA run has the Bruins up, 20-13, with 7:59 to go in the half. The Hilltoppers still have more turnovers (six) than field goals. The Bruins aren't much better with five turnovers so far.

>> Shipp's 22-foot three-pointer from the left wing has the Bruins up, 28-15, with 6:43 to play. It earned him an ovation from the pro-UCLA crowd. UCLA also has asserted himself on the boards, leading 17-13 overall.

>> Good stat from CBS: Western Kentucky's last 13 possessions have yielded no points, nine missed shots and four turnovers. Sounds like good Bruin defense against an overmatched opponent.

>> Jeremy Evans made a basket for Western Kentucky with 4:00 to play in the half to break a 17-2 run for the Bruins. The Hilltoppers are shooting 5-22 for the game (22%) and missed 10 shots in a row while the Bruins expanded their lead. It's now 30-17 with 3:54 to play in the half.

>> "How about [James] Keefe!" says CBS' Bill Raftery, and he's right. Seven points and five rebounds in the first half; his career high is eight! He's earning himself more playing time.

>> UCLA is a lot better than Western Kentucky and it shows: After a 13-13 start, the Bruins ran away with a 28-7 spurt in the final 12 minutes of the half. Their 21-point lead is the biggest of the four games played today.

Halftime score: UCLA 41, Western Kentucky 20