UCLA can’t keep pace with Kentucky and is beaten at its own game in Sweet 16

Reporting from Memphis —  They chased and chased, until there was no point in running anymore.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Lonzo Ball walked to one corner of the court and bent over, gripping his shorts. Bryce Alford hugged his older brother Kory, his college career over.

The team that had trampled others for nearly five months got overrun at the worst possible time, UCLA’s defense picked apart in the second half by the same Kentucky players the Bruins had vanquished earlier this season.

The third-seeded Bruins were no match for the second-seeded Wildcats on Friday night at FedExForum, an 86-75 defeat in an NCAA tournament South Regional semifinal serving as an unhappy conclusion to a mostly joyous season.

“It was just a hell of a ride and it sucks to come to an end like this,” UCLA center Thomas Welsh said after having to watch the final 5 minutes 58 seconds from the bench after fouling out.

The Wildcats moved on while Ball confirmed he was leaving for the NBA, where one or more of his Bruins teammates could join him. But UCLA appears to be keeping its coach after Steve Alford told The Times he would stay with the Bruins next season rather than head home to Indiana to fill the Hoosiers’ vacancy.

There’s still work to be done after UCLA (31-5) extended its championship drought to 22 years, the team known for ball movement becoming sloppy and stagnant, its 13 turnovers nearly matching its 16 assists.

“I didn’t make enough plays for my team and you can put that one on me,” said Ball, whose 10 points and eight assists were more than offset by Kentucky counterpart De’Aaron Fox’s 39 points and four assists.

The Wildcats (32-5) will play top-seeded North Carolina on Sunday in the regional final after the Tar Heels defeated Butler in the other regional semifinal and Fox nearly beat the Bruins by himself, teammate Malik Monk’s 21 points also greatly helping the cause.

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UCLA’s TJ Leaf walks off the court after the Bruins were eliminated by Kentucky in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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The Kentucky bench celebrates a three-pointer in front of UCLA’s TJ Leaf during the second half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s TJ Leaf, Ike Anigbogu and Lonzo Ball (left to right) sit in the locker room after being eliminated by Kentucky in Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Aaron Holiday and TJ Leaf, right, sit in the locker room after being eliminated by Kentucky during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA guard Bryce Alford looks to the bench in the closing seconds of a loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Lonzo Ball gets a pass off in front of Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe, center, and Edrice Adebayo during the second half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA Coach Steve Alford looks away from the court after a Bruins turnover during a Sweet 16 game against Kentucky on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Isaac Hamilton and Thomas Welsh, right, try to steal the ball from Kentucky’s Edrice Adebayo during the first half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Lonzo Ball tries to steal the ball away from Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox during the second half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Ike Anigbogu grabs a rebound in front of a crowd of Kentucky players during the first half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s TJ Leaf puts the ball back in the hoop in front of a pair of Kentucky defenders during the first half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA big men Gyorgy Goloman, second form left, and Thomas Welsh battle for a loose ball with Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, left, and Wenyen Gabriel during the first half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Gyorgy Goloman dunks over Kentucky’s Isaac Humphries during the first half of a Sweet 16 game on March 24.

  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Fox buried UCLA with an assortment of floating and running jumpers and layups, making 13 of 20 shots while missing his only three-point attempt.

“If we had to do it all over again, I don’t know if we’d change our game plan,” Bryce Alford said of the way the Bruins wanted to defend Fox. “He was just phenomenal tonight.”

UCLA shot 63.0% in the second half only to watch its halftime deficit grow from three points into double digits. The reason was Kentucky’s glut of easy baskets and the Bruins’ surplus of turnovers after having committed only nine combined in their previous two NCAA games.

Welsh sat for a long stretch midway through the second half after picking up his fourth foul and then collected his fifth shortly thereafter. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in only 18 minutes.

UCLA’s TJ Leaf and Isaac Hamilton scored 17 points apiece and Bryce Alford had 13, but the Bruins didn’t receive their usual balance, only four players scoring in double figures for a team that averages six players reaching that threshold.

“It’s just a missed opportunity,” said UCLA guard Aaron Holiday, who had five points, four assists and three turnovers, “because we’re such a great team and we work so well together.”

UCLA finished four wins short of Ball’s stated goal of a national championship after a third-place finish in the Pac-12 Conference and a semifinal loss in the conference tournament, which might be considered unfulfilled potential for such a talented group.

“Obviously, it didn’t end how we wanted,” said Leaf, who scored only four points after halftime. “We wanted it to end cutting down the nets and that didn’t happen.”

Steve Alford fell to 0-4 in regional semifinal games, including three losses with UCLA. His Bruins also dropped to 1-1 against Kentucky this season after having beaten the Wildcats by five points in December at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

Now the Bruins must ponder a future that could include a complete transformation of their roster. Leaf could join Ball in the NBA after one college season because he’s widely projected as a potential lottery selection. Welsh, Holiday and Ike Anigbogu also have decisions to make about their futures. Leaf, Welsh and Holiday said they had not made up their minds whether they would declare for the NBA draft or return to UCLA.

“I still have to go talk to my family about it,” Leaf said. “I know I love this place with everything in me.”

The Bruins expect to bring in a six-man recruiting class ranked No. 2 nationally that will include McDonald’s All-Americans Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands, not to mention Ball’s younger brother LiAngelo. The influx of talent could largely offset even widespread departures, but it will be difficult to replicate the festive, high-scoring style of the team that just played its last game.

“It was always fun,” Holiday said. “We’d get out and run like every kid dreams of, just getting out and running and shooting threes.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch

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