'Nova Ends UCLA's Final Four Run

By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 21, 2009 6:44 PM CDT
'Nova Ends UCLA's Final Four Run
Villanova's Antonio Pena (0) collides with UCLA's Alfred Aboya (12) in the first half of a second-round men's NCAA college basketball tournament game in Philadelphia, Saturday, March 21, 2009.    (Michael Perez)

The Wildcats had it all the way. Dante Cunningham scored 18 points Saturday, helping Villanova reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in 5 years with an 89-69 victory over UCLA that ended the Bruins' bid for a fourth straight Final Four appearance. Corey Fisher and Reggie Redding each had 13 points for the third-seeded Wildcats (28-7), who will play the Texas-Duke winner in the East Region semifinals in Boston.

Backed by a raucous, hometown crowd at their off-campus home, Villanova jumped on UCLA early and hardly let up. The combination of tight defense, physical play, and excellent shooting was too much for UCLA. Villanova led 44-31 at halftime, and the game that was expected to be close and low-scoring turned into a rout in the second half, with the Wildcats leading at one point by 25. (More Villanova Wildcats stories.)

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