No. 12 UCLA slips past Eastern Washington in lackluster defensive effort
Few things will sour UCLA head coach Mick Cronin’s mood more than a disappointing effort on defense.
The 12th-ranked Bruins men’s basketball team was matched point for point in the paint and struggled to put away shorthanded Eastern Washington in a season-opening 80-74 victory Monday at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA (1-0) won despite giving up 38 points in the paint and 22 assists on 29 made baskets. Offensively, the Bruins put five scorers in double figures led by new point guard Donovan Dent’s 21 points.
Dent also had nine assists to finish one shy of a double-double in his official debut.
Eastern Washington (0-1), which will be without returning leading scorer and All-Big Sky preseason selection Andrew Cook (ankle) for the entire season, trailed by just seven at halftime.
The Eagles shot better than 50% in both halves and finished 29 of 54 (53.7%) for the contest. Guard Isaiah Moses led four Eastern Washington double-digit scorers with 15 points.
The Bruins will return to action Friday for a nonconference game against Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion.
Postgame press conference
Cronin, Dent and forward Tyler Bilodeau addressed the media after the game:
Turning point of the game
UCLA trailed 20-17 midway through the first half as it struggled from the field and rebounding to open the contest. The Bruins’ interior defense was also an issue even as they regained a 34-29 lead late in the half.
While UCLA took a 40-33 lead into the locker room on center Xavier Booker’s tip-in before the buzzer, it allowed Eastern Washington to shoot 50% (13 of 26) from the field. The teams were also deadlocked 20-20 in points in the paint through 20 minutes.
The Bruins blocked just one shot in the half, but it was guard Jamar Brown as the big men failed to offer much protection at the rim. Despite turning it over nine times, the Eagles were able to thread passes for easy baskets in the lane on several occasions.
UCLA got off to a quicker start coming out of the second half, scoring 14 of the first 20 points to open up the first double-digit advantage.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Jojo Anderson and Alton Hamilton IV pulled Eastern Washington within 62-53 with 11:19 remaining.
The single-digit difference was short-lived, though, as Dent and Bilodeau immediately answered with their own baskets from beyond the arc to push the lead back up to 15. But it never grew larger.
The Eagles continued to hang around, trailing by just 11 with less than four minutes remaining before an off-balance one hander in the lane from Kiree Huie cut the deficit to 76-67.
The result was never truly in doubt over the final three minutes, but it was far from a convincing finish for UCLA, too.
UCLA standout on offense: PG Donovan Dent
The New Mexico transfer got off to a strong start, with 14 points and six assists to lead everyone in both categories at the half. He also had just one first-half turnover.
While it was a different story in the second half, Dent had just one of the Bruins’ eight turnovers.
UCLA standout on defense: G Jamar Brown
Any staple of a strong Cronin team is in a stat nobody will find in the box score. The coaching staff tracks deflections on the bench throughout the game, and UCLA had just 28.
In a word, Cronin called it “pitiful.”
The lone player to draw his praise on that end of the floor was Brown, who led the team with eight deflections.
One particular play late in the first half pleased Cronin, as Brown fought over a post player to knock away an entry pass for a steal. Brown and Bilodeau both finished with two steals.
Brown again started in place of wing Eric Dailey Jr., who is still working his way back from a knee injury.
Why UCLA won
The Eagles were already fighting an uphill battle coming into the contest without its top scorer.
Simply put, the Bruins were just more talented as to be expected.
Other positives included a stronger showing from Booker after halftime. He had four of his seven rebounds after the break, and UCLA eventually finished with a 35-30 advantage on the glass.
