UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Closing Struggles Despite Win

Despite a 73-69 win over Northwestern, UCLA players and Mick Cronin stressed the need for better late-game composure and execution.

Mar 3, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) dunks the ball on Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

In the latest episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, Madeleine Considine breaks down how the UCLA Bruins held off a furious late rally from Northwestern to secure a 73-69 road victory Monday night.

With 3:07 remaining, UCLA held a comfortable 68-54 lead, but Northwestern’s relentless defensive pressure sparked a frantic comeback. The Wildcats forced multiple turnovers, slashed the deficit to 2 points with 12 seconds left, and nearly completed the rally before the Bruins made crucial plays in the final moments.

Sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr. was intentionally fouled with 8 seconds remaining and calmly sank both free throws, extending the lead to 4. Junior guard Skyy Clark followed with two more from the line, sealing the win despite Northwestern adding a final pair of free throws in the last second.

Despite the victory, Coach Mick Cronin acknowledged his team’s struggles in closing out the game.

“In all seriousness, multiple times, we should have called timeout,” Cronin said. “We had three timeouts. I told the guys over and over to call timeout, and we had a lot of dead balls.

"We had three timeouts, and we were in trouble. The refs can’t hear me calling timeouts. Tyler [Bilodeau] said he had the ball, and he was trying to call timeout, but it looked to me like he was trying to pass it.

"And then, we have to make free throws late. We have to make 1-and-1s late.”

You can watch the episode below: 

The late-game chaos was fueled by Northwestern’s aggressive pressure, something UCLA’s sophomore center Aday Mara acknowledged postgame.

“They tried to steal the ball and pressure to make us turn the ball over,” Mara said. “We weren’t strong with the ball, and they stole the ball. But you only have to win every game by 1 point.”

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who led UCLA with 19 points, stressed the need for better composure in crunch time.

“Obviously, we need to keep our composure,” Bilodeau said. “I thought we played great defense in the second half, but at the end, we gave up. We were up 68-54. We can’t do that. We’ll learn from it. We need to just come together there and settle things down.

"Everyone needs to calm down and focus a little bit, focus on our defense and what we’ve been doing the whole game.”

While the Bruins escaped with a win, Monday’s finish was a reminder of the importance of executing under pressure. With a regular-season finale against crosstown rival USC on the horizon, UCLA will need to clean up its late-game execution to finish Big Ten play strong.

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