No. 19 UCLA shakes up starters, routs Sacramento State
After losing to a top-five Arizona team four nights ago, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said he wanted to see his bench further develop after producing just three points and very little else in a four-point loss.
In response, Cronin elected to start four reserves alongside Eric Dailey Jr. against Sacramento State. The result was a 25-point halftime lead en route to the 19th-ranked Bruins’ 79-48 victory Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA (4-1) started guards Trent Perry and Jamar Brown in the backcourt, Brandon Williams at the three and Steven Jamerson II at center, while Dailey moved from the wing to the four. The group opened the game on a 13-0 run inside the first four minutes, turning defense into offense and playing with high energy while recording four assists on the first five made baskets.
Cronin said the reserves beat the starters by 20 in Monday’s practice, leading to his decision in hopes of finding a group that could get the team off to a better, more energetic start defensively. He added that practice will dictate whether he sticks with the same lineup Friday night at home against Presbyterian.
Regular starters Donovan Dent, Skyy Clark, Tyler Bilodeau and Xavier Booker were all healthy and came off the bench. Bilodeau, Booker and Clark were the first ones to check in together at the 15:17 mark.
Dent saw his first action with the Bruins up 15-4 with 12:37 left in the half and promptly fed Clark with an assist on a 3-pointer.
Sacramento State (3-3) trailed 42-17 at the half after allowing UCLA to shoot 16 of 29 from the field with six 3-pointers, including Williams’ buzzer-beating shot to punctuate the hot-shooting opening 20 minutes. The Bruins had 12 points off the Hornets’ first four turnovers and finished with 23 off 13 turnovers for the game.
UCLA had just 19 points off 15 turnovers against Arizona due to issues converting on the fast break.
Dailey notched a double-double, scoring a game-high 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Perry had all 11 of his points in the first half to lead the early charge.
The regular starters helped the UCLA bench produce 38 points.
UCLA postgame press conference
Cronin, Dailey, Booker and Perry addressed the media after the victory:
Turning point of the game
The game-opening run put things out of reach immediately, but the energy and effort did not let up once the regulars got into the game.
While leading 22-4, three UCLA players hit the deck to dive for a loose ball around the midway point of the half.
It was the kind of hustle that Cronin did not see much of in the first four games of the season, particularly against some of the lesser opponents before playing Arizona.
To start the second half, the Bruins went back to their regular starting lineup. Before the first media timeout, however, Booker, Clark and Dent were all summoned back to the bench for Brown, Perry and Williams.
Cronin said the energy was lacking. UCLA had 33 first-half deflections to just nine after the break.
UCLA standout on offense: G Trent Perry
After accounting for all three of the bench points against the Wildcats, it was a terrific start in a bounce-back performance from Perry.
It was the sophomore’s second start of the season after filling in for an injured Dent in last week’s win over West Georgia. While his assist production wasn’t nearly the same, Perry packed a similar spark from the tip and finished 4 of 7 from the field.
UCLA standout on defense: G/F Eric Dailey Jr.
Dailey went back to the same role he occupied last season and led the team in rebounding, including nine on the defensive glass, to go with a blocked shot.
Why UCLA won
The result was inevitable and never in doubt, but the change to the starting five brought the Bruins a needed uptick in urgency after slow starts made previous games a bit more interesting than expected.
UCLA played up to its own talent level, not down to Sacramento State’s, and the message was received.
The Bruins’ shooting fell off to open the second half, but the Hornets continued to have issues handling them in the paint. UCLA owned a 36-14 advantage in the category.
