UCLA Basketball: Sebastian Mack Details What Sparked Bruins' Run Vs Chaminade

After narrowly almost taking down the fourth-ranked team in the country, Marquette, your UCLA Bruins responded with a resounding win over Chaminade. It was the second game of their Maui Invitational and the Bruins left feeling better about themselves. They may have felt a bit worse after their subsequent 69-65 loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs Wednesday.

They dominated from start to finish in this game, but there are some things to clean up. They turned the ball over 18 times, which won't get the job done against better competition.

Head coach Mick Cronin gave some thoughts on his team, and alluded to their youth being one of the reasons for sloppy play.

“We’re so young,” Cronin said, alluding to a roster featuring seven freshmen, “I don’t know what I’m going to get from anybody at any given time.”

Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times

Through the first two games of the Maui Invitational, one player has stood out. Guard Sebastian Mack has put together multiple sold games in a row and he was a key contributor to the win. He scored 16 points to lead the team, and he spoke about what helped them grab the victory.

“It starts out with the defensive end,” Mack said. “Without those steals, we don’t get those buckets, so I feel like once I turned it up on the defensive end is when we were able to get that run.”

Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times

The Bruins pride themselves on their defense, and it showed up in a big way against Chaminade. It's something that they work on, but Cronin wasn't shocked by the competitiveness of the game.

“It would shock me if it wasn’t the same [type of] competitive game,” Cronin said. “I’d be disappointed if we didn’t compete; I’d be shocked if they didn’t compete.”

Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times

UCLA got the win, but they have things to work on. Being such a young team we may see more of these types of games going forward, and all they can do is learn from them.

Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Bruins!