3 Takeaways From Bruins Win Over Boston

The UCLA Bruins got right in a bounce-back spot, defeating Boston University at home on Monday night to avenge their upset loss last week. Many points of improvement were made to help shape this team into a contender.

Nov 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Sebastian Mack (12) drives around Boston University Terriers guard Azmar Abdullah (7) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (2-1) responded positively after their upset loss last week with a blowout victory over Boston University (0-3) on Monday night at home. The Bruins dominated, 71-40, and improved several aspects from their last game. Here are a few takeaways from the win.

Scoring Distribution Improved

Nine of the 11 Bruin players that got into the game on Monday night scored a basket while three different players had double-digit buckets. The scoring was much more even distributed from last Friday's loss when one player had over a third of the team's points.

Sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr. and senior guard Lazar Stefanovic led the team with 13 points each, while sophomore guard Sebastian Mack added 12 of his own. It was a much different showing from several players who responded from their first loss of the season.

It was junior forward Tyler Bilodeau who had a quiet night after posting 23 points in the Bruins' loss to the Lobos. He does not need to be the top scorer every game because of the talent and depth around him that was on display.

Turnovers Reduced

The turnover issues are not completely fixed but are trending in the right direction. 15 turnovers is still a fairly high number against a mid-major team like the Terriers and head coach Mick Cronin surely wants that number to be single digits.

It is better from their 21 turnover performance against the Lobos where they coughed up costly possessions that could have changed the outcome of that ballgame. Instead, tonight they forced 28 turnovers while only giving away 15. Still a point to improve on but the year is still early.

Sebastian Mack Great Response

Mack had an incredibly impressive response after a poor showing in last week's loss. Head coach Mick Cronin spoke on Mack following their upset defeat and was not happy with the turnovers and overall performance that he gave.

"You could see clearly, it was very obvious. I mean, Sebastian Mack just got people taking the ball from him," Cronin said after the New Mexico loss. "He's anything but a soft kid."

And what did Mack do? Came out and balled, scoring 12 points and the biggest stat, zero turnovers. The sophomore guard is assuming a much larger role this year, and his head coach is going to expect more from him. Mack made the instant adjustment and came out with a great game to turn the tide.

The Bruins will rest for a few days before playing Lehigh (0-2) on Friday night. It will be another prime chance for this team to continue to correct their mistakes and work towards becoming a complete team before conference play in a few short weeks.

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