UCLA men’s basketball lost their third consecutive game on Friday in a 79-61 defeat to Maryland. They now fall to 11-5 in the year and 2-3 in the Big 10. After two double-digit defeats this week, the Bruins will almost surely exit the top 25 rankings, which they have been comfortably seated in since defeating Oregon just over a month ago.
Head coach Mick Cronin expressed irritation over the team’s lack of effort and grit this past week. “The problem is that right now I’m frustrated with my players and my staff,” Cronin stated in his press conference following Tuesday’s loss to Michigan. “The truth of it is that it’s really hard to coach people that are delusional.”
This frustration boiled over to Friday’s game, culminating in a flamboyant double technical foul following a Maryland layup. Cronin was swiftly ejected from the game with just over five minutes to play, awarding the Terrapins four free throws in the process. The Bruins trailed by just nine at the time, but Cronin’s absence proved to be detrimental. Maryland went on a 19-4 run following his ejection, sealing the game.
The game remained close throughout, with UCLA trailing by just four at halftime. The Bruins hung in tough, their largest deficit prior to Cronin’s ejection reaching just 10.
However, an inability to capitalize on crucial opportunities and untimely turnovers allowed Maryland to run away with the victory. The Bruins matched their season high in turnovers with 21, nearly 10 more than their previous season average. “We got no chance, the way we turned the ball over tonight,” Cronin stated. In key moments of the game, sloppy cross-court passing and miscommunication made the chance of a comeback impossible.
Despite out-rebounding Maryland 30-25, UCLA was unable to convert on extra chances. They also won the offensive rebound battle 15-8 but turned those 15 boards into just 12 points.
Maryland’s true freshman and first-round projected NBA draft pick Derik Queen was held to just eight points, halving his season average of 16. However, where he struggled against the Bruins’ defense, others flourished. Junior Ja’Kobi Gillespie logged 27 points for the Terrapins, a career high. The Belmont transfer also led the game in scoring. Senior Julian Reese, brother of WNBA all-star Angel Reese, put up a double-double, notching 16 points and 10 boards on 88% shooting.
The story remained the same for the Bruins on the offensive end, with Tyler Bilodeau heading the offensive attack. He has now led the team in scoring in seven of the last nine games, putting up 18 in this affair. UCLA continues to struggle to find a reliable second option when Bilodeau sits, with the offense stalling in his moments of absence.
Cronin looked to unlikely sources to find scoring in the defeat, playing the LA county native Trent Perry for a solid 21 minutes, his most since the team’s Nov. 26 win vs Southern Utah. The freshman guard capitalized on his increased playtime. Despite shooting struggles, he put up the second most points for the Bruins, also serving as one of three players with a positive +/-. “I thought he earned some minutes,” Cronin stated. “I was happy for him.”
The Big 10 is proving as difficult as expected for UCLA, their only two wins in the conference coming against other new teams, Oregon and Washington.
The Bruins look to bounce back on Monday at Rutgers, a team coming off a three-game losing streak of their own. The Scarlet Knights are led by Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, two players projected in the top five of the NBA draft.
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Featured Image courtesy of Jan Kim Lim, UCLA Athletics
