UCLA Basketball: Bruins Encouraged For Pac-12 Chances After ASU Win
UCLA basketball finally broke their five-game losing streak after coming back to defeat Arizona State 59-47 in their final regular season game on Saturday. The win clinched the No. 5 seed for the Bruins in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament and a round one matchup against Oregon State.
With the Bruins shifting focus toward the Pac-12 Tournament, Lazar Stefanovic explained how getting a win before postseason play was crucial for the team.
“It’s much better that we are going [to the tournament] with a win, and we’re playing Oregon State, and we secured the fifth spot. That’s what we wanted tonight. Some of the other scores helped us with that, but we secured that spot. We built a little bit of momentum, and you mentioned the defense and not letting the team score more than 50 points. You are probably going to win the game if that happens. That’s what we need to focus on, as you said, it has to bring the guys together. It’s one and done, you win or you go home. We don’t want to go home, so we’ve got to stick together and go one-by-one, but try to win them all.”
— Lazar Stefanovic, via UCLA Communications
Prior to this win, UCLA looked lost, losing five straight after they had previously gone on a run after starting the season slow. While ending their season 1-5 isn't ideal, it's a step in the right direction for the Bruins to try and make a push in the Pac-12 Tournament, as winning the tournament is the only way they can qualify for March Madness.
As Stefanovic said, the team will take it one game at a time. The good news is the Bruins' first opponent is an Oregon State team who they have already defeated twice this season. UCLA will have a strong shot at getting to at least round two, so long as they don't revert to the team that lost five straight.
