It was the form of sport the place the objectives have been pretty easy.
Escape the upset and keep away from accidents whereas enhancing as a lot as attainable in opposition to a severely overmatched opponent.
UCLA succeeded on most fronts Tuesday night time.
The No. 18 Bruins’ 111-75 victory over Prairie View A&M was so snug that UCLA coach Mick Cronin may substitute freely and used only a sprinkling of his trademark fast hooks after errors.
There wasn’t a lot to complain about besides possibly some defensive slippage and some sloppy stretches in a sport with little intrigue. After reserve guard Dominick Harris entered the sport with only some minutes left and rapidly dedicated a foul, Cronin roared, “What did I say?” so loudly that his phrases might be heard within the higher reaches of the world.
What was Cronin mad about?
“We kept fouling toward the end of the game and we kept stopping the clock,” level guard Dylan Andrews stated. “His main thing to us was to be in the gaps because we knew that they were a driving team, and sometimes we failed at it. That’s why he was on us.”
There have been additionally loads of pleasing developments. Andrews scored 21 factors on eight-for-12 capturing to go along with six assists and ahead Tyler Bilodeau had 18 factors. Harris additionally redeemed himself with a nifty help and solely his second three-pointer of the season.
Subsequent up is a far better problem. The Bruins (10-1) will take their nine-game successful streak to New York for a sport Saturday at Madison Sq. Backyard in opposition to fellow blue blood North Carolina.
UCLA’s offense will head into that showdown in excessive gear after registering a season excessive for factors … with 10:16 left within the sport. That may occur if you shoot 59%, make 47.6% of your three-point makes an attempt and convert 29 of 37 free throws.
UCLA’s protection wasn’t as crisp, notably on the perimeter. Reserve guard Jordan Tillmon made six of seven three-point pictures on the way in which to 24 factors for the Panthers (1-10), who shot 47.1% and 47.6% from lengthy vary in scoring essentially the most factors of any Bruins opponent this season.
Cronin wasn’t upset given his staff held Prairie View A&M under its season common for factors and obtained a style of the excessive tempo it can face in opposition to the Tar Heels.
“They average 80 a game and they’ve got guys who can shoot, man,” Cronin stated of the Panthers.
UCLA guard Trent Perry dunks on a fastbreak in opposition to Prairie View A&M within the second half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
Bruins ahead Eric Dailey Jr. scored 14 factors and middle Aday Mara contributed 9 factors, 11 rebounds, two blocks and three assists in 16 minutes off the bench. Cronin stated guard Sebastian Mack performed solely three minutes as a result of he confirmed up not able to play and was coping with knee swelling as a remnant of final weekend’s victory over Arizona.
“Sent him a message as well as rested him,” Cronin stated with a touch of a smile. “Not able to play, don’t should play. It’s known as accountability. Now, I do know everyone else thinks I’m too robust on children and all that, you realize, however I simply don’t know what world they’re going to go away right here and go in the place you don’t need to be accountable and persons are gonna pay ‘em.
“You know, right now they get their scholarship; they can transfer, I can’t do away with ‘em. They can go be a free agent, they can get more money; I gotta pay ‘em, now the school’s gonna need to pay ‘em [through revenue sharing]. The collectives — this is literally like ‘The Wizard of Oz’ or one thing in a film proper now. And once they can’t play basketball — once they gotta play for a dwelling, you higher be rattling good at it. You higher be accountable otherwise you’re gonna get lower. You’re gonna get fired out of your job. So, I simply figured I’d get ‘em ready. That’s my job, I care about ‘em.”
This was the 10th consecutive road game in a 12-game trip for Prairie View A&M, whose only victory came in its season opener on its home court over the College of Biblical Studies of Houston, an NCAA Division II school.
Beating UCLA would have been an upset of biblical proportions, with basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy giving the Bruins a 99.7% chance of winning. After falling into an early 18-point hole, the Panthers could dream when they rolled off a 10-0 run to cut their deficit to single digits midway through the first half.
Bruins forward William Kyle III get this shirt pulled by Prairie View A&M guard Jordan Tillmon while grabbing an offensive rebound in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
But the Bruins were just too big, too physical, too tough. Prairie View A&M often had no choice but to foul, repeatedly sending UCLA to the free-throw line in the first half. The Bruins made 14 of 17 tries on the way to their 53-36 halftime advantage.
There was also no answer the Panthers could conjure for Mara, UCLA’s 7-foot-3 sophomore who confirmed the various methods he can have an effect on the sport in his 5 first-half minutes. Mara threw down a putback dunk, grabbed 4 rebounds and logged assists on passes to Skyy Clark and Andrews.
There was a second to rejoice within the first half when Lazar Stefanovic made three free throws to surpass 1,000 factors for his profession, the milestone acknowledged with a graphic on the video board.
In just some days, in opposition to a much more formidable foe, the Bruins can get again to chasing larger objectives.
