UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Again Frustrated After Sloppy Bruins Struggle To Close Out Chaminade

Your UCLA Bruins bounced back with a win against Chaminade after a tough defeat against Marquette that saw them lose focus toward the end of the game. The Bruins came out strong against Chaminade, and it showed in their early execution.

“Cronin said he was concerned about how his young team would respond after the emotionally charged defeat against Marquette in which UCLA lost a 12-point lead in the second half. For the first nine minutes Tuesday, the Bruins were practically flawless.”

Per Ben Bolch of The LA Times

But as the later parts of the game came about, the Bruins seemed to take their foot off the gas a little bit. They still dominated the game by the score of 76-48, but head coach Mick Cronin wants to see more consistency from his guys moving forward.

“We came out with the right approach and we looked literally unbeatable,” Cronin said. “Then, our approach changed, and we started playing for ourselves instead of our teammates and our opponent stepped up their intensity and their help in the paint and we were very soft with the ball."

Per Mick Cronin via The LA Times

The Bruins committed 18 turnovers in the game, five more than their opponents. They will need to clean some things up if they want to be successful going forward against better competition.

“Our post guys got stripped seven or eight times in the first half. Excuses are for losers. … At some point, you’ve got to have some pride.”

Per Mick Cronin via The LA Times

UCLA has shown that they can be a good team, as evidenced by them almost taking down the fourth-ranked team in the nation. But their lack of miscues and experience is a problem. It hurt them against Marquette, but thankfully they were able to get the win over Chaminade.

The Bruins went on to fall to the No. 11-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-65 Wednesday.

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