PHOENIX -- Doubt came into UCLA's game Thursday night.
It was delivered with the flapping arms and dancing feet of underdog basketball players from Western Kentucky who went from headed-home-to-Bowling Green almost all the way into the NCAA Elite Eight.
Almost.
With point guard Darren Collison fouled out and the Hilltoppers rushing, pushing, trapping, whispering "Cinderella" into Bruins ears, top-seeded UCLA survived the enthusiastic upset bid by the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers, 88-78, in the NCAA West Regional semifinals at US Airways Center.
UCLA (34-3) will play third-seeded Xavier on Saturday for the chance to advance to its third consecutive Final Four.
After strolling to a 41-20 halftime lead, the Bruins nearly collapsed in the face of Western Kentucky's unrelenting defensive pressure in the second half.
"Western Kentucky did a great job of speeding up the game in the second half," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "We did a poor job in our shot selection when we were up 15, up 17, up 18. We gave them the ball back and they would come down and score."
With 6:57 left in the game, Hilltoppers guard Tyrone Brazelton (who had a game-high 31 points) scored a three-pointer that made the score 61-57 and with 5:39 left Collison fouled out for the first time this sea-
son when he knocked the hand of Courtney Lee on a three-point attempt.
Lee made two of his three free throws to make the score 63-59. That fifth foul was the one Collison regretted most.
"I guess I hit Lee," he said. "It was a real long five minutes for me down the stretch. It felt like a whole other half."
On UCLA's next possession, with flustered Russell Westbrook trying to handle the pressure, he threw a pass to the Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky's A.J. Slaughter ran to an open spot near the Hilltoppers bench, just beyond the three-point line, and everyone stood -- hopeful Western Kentucky fans, leftover Xavier fans, disappointed West Virginia fans and nail-biting UCLA fans -- as Slaughter shot. And missed.
Some 20 seconds later, Bruins backup sophomore forward James Keefe, who had career-highs in both points (18) and rebounds (12), made two free throws that barely disturbed the net.
And with 4:32 left, still searching for his shooting confidence, Josh Shipp was forced to fling a 25-footer, a shot with no lift or trajectory but a three-pointer that went in. It gave the Bruins a 68-59 lead, enough of a margin for them all to take a deep breath and look over the waving arms and jumping Hilltoppers.
