Up 21 with under two minutes to play, head coach Mick Cronin challenged an out-of-bounds call that favored Utah State. It may have seemed futile to do so, but it shows exactly what kind of mentality the Bruins have – play hard until the last buzzer sounds.
No. 7 seed UCLA (23-10, 13-7 Big Ten) defeated No. 10 seed Utah State (26-8, 15-5 Mountain West) 72-47 Thursday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. After missing March Madness altogether last season, UCLA is finding tournament success once again, advancing past the round of 64.
From start to finish, the Bruins were firing on all cylinders. The defense was merciless, the offense was cohesive and the players just seemed composed, like they knew they were built for the moment.
UCLA struggled to pull away early on, but a 12-0 run toward the end of the first half sent the team into halftime up 39-27. Another run midway through the second half, this time 14-0, put the game out of reach. During this stretch, Utah State went scoreless for nearly seven minutes, a testament to UCLA’s relentlessness on the defensive end.
A Utah State team averaging over 80 points per game on the season seemed to be in disarray all night offensively. The Bruins held the Aggies to their lowest point total on the season with 47, 14 less than their previous low of 61.
After sinking a pair of threes early on, the Aggies went ice cold, missing 18 straight threes before hitting their next one. They would then go on to miss 11 of their next 13, finishing at a season-low 13% efficiency from beyond the arc. “Uncomfortable teams shoot a low percentage,” Cronin said. “And we were able to make them uncomfortable.”
A big concern coming in for the Bruins was Utah State’s All-Mountain West guard, Ian Martinez, the team’s leading scorer. However, he found no answers to UCLA’s defense, scoring just two points and shooting 1-11 from the field.
On the offensive side of the ball, things were clicking just as well for UCLA. Twenty-two of the team’s 26 field goals were scored off of assists, including eight from Dylan Andrews. The team was able to easily dissect Utah State’s trap defense, finding open shots all night. Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. led the team’s scoring with 14 points each, but everyone was getting in on the action. As a team, the Bruins shot 42% from three.
Aday Mara, despite battling a sinus infection and a lingering left ankle injury, proved to be the key to victory. In his 20 minutes, Mara scored 10 points and grabbed six boards, adding five blocks as well. Towering over an undersized Utah State squad, Mara was able to see all across the floor, dishing an easy pair of baskets early in the game to Clark and Lazar Stefanovic. The young Spaniard’s ability to run the floor only continues to improve. “He’s come a long way in two years,” Cronin said.
Next up for the Bruins is No. 2 seed Tennessee on Saturday, who took care of No. 15 seed Wofford earlier Thursday afternoon to advance. UCLA may face its biggest challenge of the season with the Volunteers, who rank top five in the KenPom net rating. But if the Bruins can play like they did against Utah State, they stand a chance against anyone.
The Bruins will face Tennessee at Rupp Arena, less than a three-hour drive from the University of Tennessee’s campus. So don’t be surprised to see a lot of orange in the crowd.
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Featured Image Photographed by Zimo Li/Daily Bruin.
