UCLA basketball team outlasts Washington to win its Big Ten debut

04.12.2024 09:33

DailyNews.com

UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau (34) and Kobe Johnson (0) react after a basket during the first half of their Big Ten opener against Washington on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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LOS ANGELES — Sebastian Mack’s first three shot attempts might have reminded head coach Mick Cronin of the freshman version of his sixth man, a spry shoot-first guard who rarely responded to his leash. It was a loose one, since that UCLA team desperately needed Mack’s offense. Now in his sophomore year, Mack understands the reasons for those constraints.

He’s matured from that sporadic Wile E. Coyote, to adopt Barry Allen, Flash-like concerted energy bursts.

Cronin and his staff challenged Mack to improve his decision-making in the offseason and he has responded.

“Really, he’s been the only consistent offensive threat for us on the perimeter,” Cronin said after Tuesday’s game.

Mack’s calculated aggressiveness dictated the second half as the Bruins beat Washington, 69-58, in the first Big Ten game for both teams.

He got a foot in the paint on the majority of his drives, creating opportunities for himself and others. He earned seven trips to the free-throw line and knocked down a 3-pointer that gave the Bruins an 11-point lead with 4:13 left.

“My teammates knew I probably had the hand tonight,” he said.

It’s a humble comment, but performances like Tuesday’s have become commonplace, consistent, expected from Mack, not some result of a fiery fist. But even more impressive than his vanity and assertiveness, Mack had the wherewithal to defer.

Two minutes after his crucial 3-pointer, he swung a pass to Dylan Andrews for what proved to be the dagger.

Mack came off the bench to score 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting, while Tyler Bilodeau matched that mark going 6 for 8 from the field. Andrews added 12 points, and made four of his last six shots after a cold start.

Great Osobor had 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting, his performance a symbol of the Huskies’ inefficiency on a night when they shot 19 for 49 (38%) from the field and 3 for 16 from deep. The Bruins’ defensive pressure yielded just six steals, tying a season-low mark, but their ball security and defensive rebounding made up for it.

Washington (6-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) began the game in a 1-3-1 zone that left space at each elbow for mid-range jumpers, but the Bruins (7-1, 1-0) struggled to connect, going 1 for 9 on those opportunities in the first half.

The Huskies’ zone left a lone big man in the paint, allowing for the Bruins to feed off high-low offense and the offensive glass. Eric Dailey Jr. racked up four assists in the first 11 minutes and Aday Mara checked in and immediately slammed home an Andrews’ miss. A second putback from Mara gave UCLA its first double-digit lead.

“I thought we did great against their 1-3-1,” Cronin said. “We rebounded as hard as we could. That’s why we were winning.”

Washington adjusted, switching into man-to-man. The Bruins missed their next five attempts and their lead dropped to two.

Mack was the first to embrace the Huskies’ defensive switch and the Bruins began to run their offense through him, calling on sets that allowed him to catch the ball on the perimeter and operate out of isolation. It slowed the pace of the game, the clock containing the Huskies just as well as the Bruins’ defense.

“When they switched to man,” Mack said, “My mindset was just, you know, ‘try to create something – whether that’s an assist or a layup – just try to get my guys open or get myself a look.’”

Keeping his head on a swivel was a point of emphasis this offseason and it paid off as he identified driving lanes for himself and an open Andrews with just over two minutes left.

The longest-tenured Bruin started just 1 for 6 from the field and got pulled early in the second half after throwing a half-hearted pass that was intercepted. He returned a bit later, pulling up at the left elbow for a pair of jumpers. With 9:06 remaining, he hit a 3-pointer to extend the Bruins’ lead back to 11. Then he rewarded Mack’s trust with the game-sealing 3-pointer.

Before his late burst, it seemed as if Andrews was headed for another clunker, which would have made the veteran leader 2 for 2 in UCLA’s high-profile matchups, this season. But he turned it around, proving Cronin right, who at practice on Monday praised his point guard’s steadiness.

“It’s hard to be confident when the ball is not going in,” Cronin said then. “I think you got to play through that stuff, which he’s done. I don’t think there’s any point where he lost confidence.”

To be who they want to be, the Bruins will need this type of offensive production from their perimeter players. Mack has provided that on a nightly basis, but they had been asking more of their starters. Andrews, and his backcourt-mates – Skyy Clark and Kobe Johnson – went 5 for 7 from behind the arc in the second half, helping a Bruins team that had just 28 deflections and missed 11 free throws begin its Big Ten era with a win.

UP NEXT

The Bruins will take on 12th-ranked Oregon (8-0, 0-0) on Sunday at 3 p.m.