UCLA's Skyy Clark loses front tooth in March Madness thriller to help Bruins seal first-round victory
UCLA's Skyy Clark lost half a front tooth in the NCAA tournament but returned to hit a key free throw, helping the Bruins defeat UCF 75-71 on Friday.
UCLA center Skyy Clark has a new smile he’s showing off after the Bruins’ 75-71 victory over UCF on Friday night.
The California native and senior lost his front tooth during UCLA’s first round game in the men’s NCAA tournament after he caught a stray elbow from UCF’s Themus Fulks when the pair dove for a loose ball late in the second half.
The accidental contact knocked out half of Clark’s front tooth, an ugly scene captured on the CBS broadcast.
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"It definitely hurt," Clark said after the game. "I have a little lisp going on."
As Clark was being attended to by the team’s staff, UCLA walk-on Jack Seidler jumped into action to find the missing tooth.
"Somebody’s got to get it, somebody’s got to get it," Seidler recalled.
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The broadcast showed Seidler returning to the scene and picking up what was left of Clark’s tooth, which he said resulted in his cellphone blowing up with reactions to his heroics. But for Seidler, the real star was Clark, who returned to play shortly after the incident.
"That’s toughness right there," he said. "Losing half a tooth and coming back into the game to help us get the win."
Clark, who averaged 10.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals throughout his collegiate career, returned and hit a free throw with seconds remaining to secure the Bruins’ victory.
"He looked so good in the locker room," head coach Mick Cronin said after the game. "Looks like a boxer. Keep trying to talk to these guys about my old days. He just looked tough. Looks tough. In the locker room, smiling. There’s blood."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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