March Madness 2022: UCLA avoids upset with late surge, holds off Akron 57-53

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Tyger Campbell rescued UCLA from a potential upset, scoring eight straight points late in the second half, and the fourth-seeded Bruins rallied for a 57-53 win over No. 13 seed Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

With the Bruins down 51-47 with 3 1/2 minutes left, Campbell took control and helped his team avoid getting bounced on the opening day of the tournament. Campbell hit a corner 3-pointer to pull UCLA within one, knocked down a 15-footer for the lead and added a 25-footer as the shot clock was expiring to put the Bruins ahead 55-51 with 1:17 left.

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"My teammates just kept finding me and I just was wanting to make a play," Campbell said. "I knew down the stretch, coach made some adjustments, and I just wanted to execute on them and the shots went in."

Even with Campbell’s streak, the Bruins (26-7) still had to sweat the final moments after a missed free throw and Jamie Jacquez Jr. missing a jumper with 15 seconds left. Akron’s Ali Ali drove to the basket but didn’t have a clean look and was blocked by Cody Riley.

UCLA guard Tyger Campbell (10) shoots a three-pointer against Akron during the second half of a first-round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Portland, Ore.  (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

Johnny Juzang knocked down a pair of free throws, and the Bruins moved on to face No. 5 seed Saint Mary's on Saturday.

"This reminds me of my Big East days. You’re going to win a rock fight, you’ve got to put your hardhat on and you’ve got to take care of the ball, get some extra possessions," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. "And