The lengthy highway again to status began at residence, towards a largely nameless opponent.
Having failed its first take a look at towards a mid-major, UCLA took a step down in competitors Monday night time and didn’t do rather a lot to persuade anybody it belonged again within the nationwide rankings.
Most of the identical issues that plagued the Bruins final week have been current once more throughout a disjointed 71-40 victory over Boston College at Pauley Pavilion.
There have been turnovers galore, lengthy scoring droughts and extra struggles making pictures from lengthy vary.
Luckily for the Bruins, their protection proved an excessive amount of for an opponent incapable of dealing with energetic arms and backcourt strain. UCLA (2-1) pressured 28 turnovers that it transformed into 36 factors in taking a small step ahead after its loss to New Mexico.
The Bruins hadn’t been capable of do practically as a lot with the 24 turnovers they pressured towards the Lobos, these miscues translating to only 15 factors.
In a extra encouraging growth, it’s the primary time UCLA has pressured 20 or extra turnovers in back-to-back video games because it did towards Wyoming, Louisiana Tech and Oregon State throughout the 2008-09 season.
UCLA guard Kobe Johnson had 4 steals and ahead Eric Dailey Jr. added three for a workforce that completed with 14. Boston (0-3) had bother merely getting the ball into the frontcourt throughout the Bruins’ 9-0 and 10-0 runs early within the second half that turned the sport right into a blowout.
Issues weren’t practically as fairly for UCLA on the offensive entrance.
UCLA’s William Kyle III dunks throughout the first half towards Boston College on Monday night time.
(Etienne Laurent / Related Press)
Dailey and Lazar Stefanovic scored 13 factors apiece for the Bruins, who made solely 5 of twenty-two three-pointers (22.7%) and dedicated 11 of their 15 turnovers within the first half. Sebastian Mack added 12 factors, two assists and two steals off the bench for UCLA.
Guard Kyrone Alexander scored 10 factors to guide the Terriers, who have been outscored within the paint, 34-10.
One change for the Bruins got here at tipoff, coach Mick Cronin going with Stefanovic over Dylan Andrews as a part of his beginning lineup. Andrews was out with a left groin harm that’s not thought-about severe, leaving his standing as daily.
Stefanovic contributed two three-pointers within the first half, however the Bruins’ ballhandling woes picked up the place that they had left off in committing 21 turnovers towards New Mexico. Johnson was an egregious perpetrator, compounding one in every of his three first-half turnovers by committing a foul in transition. Johnson considerably offset his closing tally of 4 turnovers with six factors, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
Affected by turnovers and poor taking pictures, UCLA endured a seven-minute drought and not using a discipline aim earlier than turning it on a bit on the way in which to a 39-22 halftime lead.
Many of the early highlights belonged to junior ahead William Kyle III. The switch from South Dakota State snagged a wonderful cross from guard Trent Perry earlier than dunking over a helpless defender. Later, Kyle dazzled throughout a sequence wherein he materialized to dam what seemed like it will be an uncontested layup earlier than grabbing a miss from Mack and elevating for a ferocious putback dunk.
The primary half’s closing factors additionally belonged to Kyle after he took a pleasant cross from Dailey and dunked proper earlier than the buzzer.
There was an early Dominick Harris sighting, the switch from Loyola Marymount given taking part in time earlier than halftime for the primary time this season. However Harris didn’t make a lot of an impression in his quarter-hour, lacking all six of his pictures.
