| Men’s Basketball |
|---|
| UCLA — 56 |
| Michigan — 86 |
Former Bruin Aday Mara proves himself against the UCLA Bruins in a dominant 86-56 victory.
UCLA men’s basketball (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) struggled vs No.2 Michigan (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) in an 86-56 loss on Saturday Feb. 14 in Ann Arbor.
UCLA had not played in a week, and it showed early with Michigan taking a five-to-nothing lead and dominating in the paint. UCLA would not score until 17 minutes in the first half, with UCLA junior forward Xavier Booker knocking down a 3-pointer.
From there on, it was all sophomore guard Trent Perry and senior forward Tyler Bilodeau doing the scoring for UCLA. The Bruins found their rhythm at the end of the half, scoring seven unanswered points with senior guard Donovan Dent getting a last-second layup to end the half and put UCLA down two, 38-40.
Bilodeau took notice in the first half, knocking down two threes and a couple of layups. Perry similarly had success making a three, finishing at the rim with two layups and hitting on his free throws, going 2-2 from the line. Perry and Bilodeau were responsible for 21 of UCLA’s 38 first-half points.
The Bruins left much to be desired defensively in the first half, especially with their fouling, sending Michigan to the line 17 times in the first half, of which Michigan made 11. Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg was a beneficiary of UCLA’s fouls, being sent to the line 10 times and making seven free throws despite being 1-5 from the field.
Another standout player for the Wolverines was guard L.J. Cason, who scored at will, hitting two threes and a layup. Former Bruin Aday Mara was dominant on the glass, with four rebounds, and had two assists.
The Wolverines struggled from three in the first half, shooting 23% from the arc, but were very efficient in the paint, shooting 48% from inside. Additionally, the Wolverines main success in the first half was at the free throw line, something the Bruins needed to clean up in the second half to come away with a victory.
Michigan dominated the second half, going on a nine-to-four run in the first several minutes of the half. Lendeborg got to his spots in the second half, draining two threes and a layup early in the half. The Wolverines ended the second half on a 16-2 run, finishing the game with a final score of 86-56.
Mara kept up his dominance into the second half, blocking two shots, assisting on two baskets, and scoring five points. Mara’s defensive presence in the paint was game-changing, forcing the Bruins to second-guess themselves when going to the paint and eliminating second-chances through his impressive rebounding.
The Bruins went cold in the second half, including a stretch of 12 straight possessions without a basket. The Bruins finished the game shooting 38% from the field and 29% from three compared to Michigan’s 62% from the field and 37% from three. The Bruins continued to struggle defending the paint, giving up 42 points in the paint and allowing four back-to-back layups in the second half.
When asked about his teams second half performance, UCLA coach Mick Cronin said, “We were awful, god awful, we missed eight unguarded threes, if you are going to come in here and win, you have to score.” Cronin was also disappointed in his team’s selfishness and shot selection, saying, “I am searching for guys that will play for the team and not for stats. We took some horrendous shots today.”
The Bruins’ next matchup occurs Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 5:00 p.m. PST against Michigan State in an opportunity for the Bruins to bounce back and fight to make a late push to the NCAA tournament in March.
