Bruins' Mack Takes Responsibility Post-Purdue Loss

Following the UCLA Bruins' tough road loss to the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers, sophomore guard Sebastian Mack took responsibility for the team's poor performance in the final minutes. He also honed in on two keys the Bruins must improve on.

Feb 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks to UCLA Bruins guard Sebastian Mack (12) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (20-9, 11-7) suffered a tough road loss on Friday night, falling to the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers (200-9, 12-6) at Mackey Arena. Following the loss, Bruins sophomore guard Sebastian Mack had some things to say about his team's crumble in the final minutes of the contest.

After leading by 1 with just over 8 minutes to play, the Bruins allowed a 12-0 that ultimately decided the game. UCLA was never able to recover from the Boilermakers' scoring run, falling for the fifth time on the road this season.

Mack was impressive off the bench in the first half but was unable to maintain the consistency in the final 20 minutes. He finished with 10 points, all coming in the first half, and was held scoreless in the back half of the contest.

Despite the scoring struggles, UCLA allowed two separate Purdue players to score more than 20 points. The Bruins had been sensational this season in holding the Big Ten's top-scoring offenses to their lowest totals of the season. That was not the case on Friday night.

"It was just that we had so many lapses that it's hard to get a flow going when we were making mistakes, and they're [Purdue] just getting out on the break and doing what they do best," Mack said. "I feel like we struggled today very well on our defensive end; we didn't follow any of what coach [Cronin] says, and that hurts us a lot."

Mack acknowledged the failure to take what head coach Mick Cronin was saying and apply it to the contest. He did not provide details as to what Cronin was teaching but simply said that he and his team did not execute accordingly.

Toward the end of the postgame presser, Mack was asked what the two keys will be to fixing the lingering defensive lapses and communication issues that the Bruins are having. The second-year Bruin guard kept it short and sweet, very aware of what must be done to succeed.

"Pay attention and listen that's the only two things," Mack said. "That, and actually like have that heart just to be out there to fight. ... Listen and fight, and come out there swinging."

The Bruins have two regular season games left to bolster their seeding for the upcoming Big Ten tournament and NCAA Tournament. They will stay on the road to face the Northwestern Wildcats (16-13, 7-11) Monday night.

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