LEXINGTON, Ky. –– Somehow No. 11 UCLA (8-0) is hanging in there.
Freshman point guard Lonzo Ball went 1-of-5 from the field and racked up five turnovers, but the Bruins entered halftime leading the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats (7-0) 49-45.
The first true road test for the star point guard was anything but show-stopping.
Kentucky defenders deflected his passes and cut off the once easily-open lanes, leaving the freshman frustrated and the Big Blue nation crowd hyped.
But sophomore Aaron Holiday, who came off the bench, kept the Bruins close after the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run and gained a nine-pointlead with 10 minutes to go in the half.
The guard was the only UCLA player in double digits, tallying 13 points on all four of his first-half field shots.
The Bruins started out of the gates with a 4-0 run, but the long and quick Wildcat defense disrupted their rhythm on nearly every possession.
The visitors hung around late in the half behind timely runs and gritty defensive stops to stem the home team’s momentum. Foul calls against the Wildcats helped the underdogs slowly take control.
Freshmen forward TJ Leaf and forward/center Ike Anigbogu battled against Kentucky in the paint, combining for 10 points and eight rebounds to keep UCLA in the game.
Leaf snared one of his seven rebounds from deep to help the Bruins outrebound the bigger Wildcats 19-18.
The Bruins retook the lead with two minutes to go on a Holiday 3-pointer. And Ball closed the first half with a 3 of his own to give the visitors a four-point cushion heading into halftime.
Last year, UCLA upset Kentucky 87-77 in Westwood, defeating a top-ranked team for the first time since 2003. The Bruins held an eight-point lead at halftime in the 2015 game.