UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Mourns Lost Opportunity Against Gonzaga

Your UCLA Bruins gave all they could against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday, but they couldn't come away with the win. It was another game that they felt they could have taken down Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs got the better of them once again, winning 69-65.

They let multiple chances slip through their fingertips and even cut the game down to three late in the final half. Head coach Mick Cronin knows they missed a prime opportunity, but wants his team to continue fighting moving forward.

“We had our chances, we just didn’t play well early,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We were just digging out all night and we didn’t make enough shots to dig out, but we never quit and that’s because we got the guys in there that got it going, that kept fighting for us. So that was important.”

Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times

The Bruins inexperience showed against the Bulldogs, but they never quit. They fought back into the game and showed their heart on full display.

While the result didn't go their way, the team can take away the fact that they didn't dig in. They pushed through the adversity and found a way to put themselves in a place to win.

“I liked the way our guys never gave up despite the fact that we didn’t make a lot of shots and Watson was having a career night,” Cronin said.

Per Mick Cronin via The LA Times

The Bruins can learn a lot from this game and will be better because of it. While the loss stings right now, the adversity could help them down the line in the season.

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