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Individuals don’t win in March, teams do. The No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins proved that on Friday, with much of the Bruins rotation stepping up due to the absence of Tyler Bilodeau, who missed the Bruins' 75-71 win over No. 10 seed UCF due to his knee sprain.
With no Bilodeau, all of UCF’s defensive focus turned to Donovan Dent. Dent didn’t shoot efficiently but he made a lot of winning plays for the Bruins. Dent went 4-17 from the field, scoring 10 points, but Dent added five rebounds, five assists and six steals to lead the way.
The question was, without Bilodeau, who was going to score for the Bruins? Both Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker answered the call. The duo combined for 35 points, with Trent Perry adding another 15 points for the Bruins.
There were several dry spells for UCLA without the game, which makes sense when you’re without your No. 1 option on offense. Even late in the second half with the Bruins so close to a win, they struggled mightily to get the game-sealing defensive stop. It wasn’t costly, as UCF ran out of time, but UCLA can’t afford to make that a habit.
While there were moments of poor offense, the Bruins defense had a good day. UCF shot only 38% from the field and forced 17 turnovers from the Knights. UCLA once again felt Bilodeau’s absence on the boards, getting out-rebounded 53-41.
The really concerning number for UCLA was allowing 25 offensive rebounds to the Knights. The Bruins play small ball, but they won’t stick around the tournament for long giving up that many extra chances.
There's plenty to nitpick but the real important thing is getting the win, which Mick Cronin’s team was able to do.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA's lack of rebounding didn't cost them versus UCF in round one
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Donovan Dent notches six steals
With no Bilodeau, all of UCF’s defensive focus turned to Donovan Dent. Dent didn’t shoot efficiently but he made a lot of winning plays for the Bruins. Dent went 4-17 from the field, scoring 10 points, but Dent added five rebounds, five assists and six steals to lead the way.
UCLA's secondary scorers stepped up
The question was, without Bilodeau, who was going to score for the Bruins? Both Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker answered the call. The duo combined for 35 points, with Trent Perry adding another 15 points for the Bruins.
UCF kept things interesting on Friday
There were several dry spells for UCLA without the game, which makes sense when you’re without your No. 1 option on offense. Even late in the second half with the Bruins so close to a win, they struggled mightily to get the game-sealing defensive stop. It wasn’t costly, as UCF ran out of time, but UCLA can’t afford to make that a habit.
UCLA's defense had themselves a good showing
While there were moments of poor offense, the Bruins defense had a good day. UCF shot only 38% from the field and forced 17 turnovers from the Knights. UCLA once again felt Bilodeau’s absence on the boards, getting out-rebounded 53-41.
Bruins get beasted on the board
The really concerning number for UCLA was allowing 25 offensive rebounds to the Knights. The Bruins play small ball, but they won’t stick around the tournament for long giving up that many extra chances.
There's plenty to nitpick but the real important thing is getting the win, which Mick Cronin’s team was able to do.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA's lack of rebounding didn't cost them versus UCF in round one
Continue reading...
