This post was updated March 18 at 9:43 p.m.

SACRAMENTO — David Singleton withstood a cold shooting night– and a late-game injury – to send the Bruins to their third consecutive Sweet 16.

On the back of a dagger 3-pointer from the fifth-year guard, No. 2 seed UCLA men’s basketball (31-5, 18-2 Pac-12) advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend with a 68-63 victory over No. 7 seed Northwestern (22-12, 12-8 Big Ten) on Saturday night at the Golden 1 Center.

“(It was a) big shot,” said coach Mick Cronin. “The teams that have kids that make the play are the teams that are going to move on.”

Despite starting 0-for-4 from deep in the contest, Singleton still spotted up on the right wing with the Bruins in desperate need of a dagger. His team was leading by three, but the Wildcats were breathing down the Bruins’ necks all second half long.

Singleton’s teammates were not fazed by the guard’s misses earlier in the contest, either.

“Everybody was telling him in the huddle, … ‘Hey, man, shoot the next one,’” Cronin said.

Redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell ran the court in transition and did not hesitate to pass it to his usually sweet-shooting teammate. Singleton, similarly without a pause, fired away.

Swish. The Bruins had their largest lead of the final 10 minutes, enough to lead them to the Round of 32 victory.

David Singleton drains a HUGE 3 for UCLA. They lead 62-56 with 1:45 left pic.twitter.com/Ci9YvZU04Q

— Jon Christon (@JonChristonDB) March 19, 2023

Singleton hurt his right ankle later in the contest, as Northwestern was looking to intentionally foul to force free throws, and needed help to get to the locker room. However, the guard eventually emerged from the locker room before the final buzzer and was walking under his own power as he celebrated the victory with his team.

Singleton’s injury was officially ruled a right ankle sprain, and his status is unknown for the Sweet 16 next week.

Before his eventful second half, Singleton did not score in the opening 20 minutes – despite the fact that the opening period leaned heavily in UCLA’s favor. The Bruins entered the halftime locker room up by 10, holding the Wildcats to a measly 25 first-half points.

“It was a nice, physical game,” said freshman guard Amari Bailey, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. “That’s something we always invite over here.”

But Northwestern counterpunched to begin the second half – and yet again, Singleton was nowhere to be found. Singleton missed a 3 after the Wildcats cut the deficit to six. The shot could have halted the Wildcats’ momentum, but instead the underdogs continued to roll.

Soon, the game was knotted at 45 apiece, and Northwestern rode a wave of momentum from the Golden 1 Center fans.

“They’re a grizzled, tough team,” Cronin said. “It didn’t surprise me that they came back at us.”

The Bruins were up six when Northwestern guard Boo Buie drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 4 1/2 minutes to go. Singleton had his chance again to quell the Wildcat crowd the next two possessions but missed a pair of attempts from deep, and the momentum still rested with the underdogs.

Singleton, at that point, had not made any of his four 3-point attempts. His only points were from floater range to open the second half. The game was on track to be among his least productive of the season despite starting and playing a majority of the contest.

Before long, though, Singleton calmly cashed in his dagger from the right wing, and the Bruin faithful in Sacramento erupted into a sea of cheers.

Singleton met the applause with a sigh of relief and a smile.

“We’re surprised when Dave misses,” Cronin said. “None of us were surprised when that went in.”

Before Singleton’s heroics, however, senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. kept the Bruins afloat as the Wildcats made their run in the second half.

Jaquez was the game’s leading scorer at 24 points, 10 of which he scored in the second half. As UCLA was reeling, Jaquez was the team’s safety valve in the post. He scored all 10 of his second-half points immediately after a made shot by the Wildcats.

“Every time we made a run, they made big plays,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins. “Jaquez is an incredible player, one of the best in the country.”

Bailey helped Jaquez with 14, though he scored only three in the second half. Campbell rounded out the Bruins in double figures with 12 points, all 12 from the free throw line.

Singleton, meanwhile, was held to just five points – but three of those points were the biggest of the night.