UCLA, Southern Illinois looking to bounce back

Nov 21, 2008 - 3:00 PM No. 4 UCLA (2-1) vs. Southern Illinois (2-1) 5:00 p.m. EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) - It did not take long for UCLA to suffer an upset.

Fourth-ranked UCLA looks to rebound from a dismal loss and finish in third place at the 2008 2K Sports Classic when it faces Southern Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Darren Collison and talented freshman Jrue Holliday finished with 13 points apiece for the Bruins, but it was not enough as they endured a 55-52 upset loss to Michigan during the semifinals on Thursday.

The Bruins had trouble with Michigan's 1-3-1 zone defense, knocking down only 2-of-8 3-point attempts in the second half after leading by as many as 10 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Southern Illinois may want to employ a similar tactic if it wants to bounce back from an 83-58 loss to fifth-ranked Duke in the other semifinal on Thursday.

The Salukis kept it close with their defensive effort, trailing, 29-23, at the half and pulling to within 32-29 on Carlton Fay's 3-pointer earlier in the second half. A 43-22 run over the next 14 minutes helped Duke pull away as Southern Illinois endured its first loss.