Bruins Earn Dominant Bounce-Back Win Over Terriers

The UCLA Bruins earned a win that they needed badly after an upset loss last week. They got right against a struggling Boston University team and are back on track to becoming a conference title contender.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) drives to the basket as Rider Broncs guard Flash Burton (11) moves in to defend 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) earned a dominant win on Monday night at home over Boston University, 71-40, improving in many of the areas that needed to be fixed after their upset loss last week. They were in a get-right spot against the Terriers and executed to perfection.

The Bruins were recently unranked after their loss to New Mexico and took out those frustrations on a lesser opponent. There were several scorers in double figures, something they struggled to do in their upset three days ago.

Of the 11 Bruins players that received minutes, nine scored in the game. After a loss where just one player scored double-digits, the scoring distribution was much better and the entire team was able to contribute to their second win of the season.

A pair of Bruin transfers led the team with 13 points in the win as junior forward Eric Dailey Jr. and senior guard Lazar Stefanovic had their best scoring nights of the season. Dailey added five rebounds and three assists to his scorecard in the win as well.

Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack was under fire from head coach Mick Cronin following their upset loss for his turnover issues and responded in a great way. Mack finished the game with 12 points and zero turnovers. Immediate adjustments were made from Mack, which led to a successful night.

The Bruins' defense had their best game of the season, forcing 28 turnovers that resulted in 36 points, over half their total scoring. They struggled to shoot the three ball, finishing 5-22 for 22.7% from three-point range.

Due to their outside shooting struggles, the Bruins took advantage of their mismatch down low, scoring 34 points in the paint. Sophomore center Aday Mara was a beast on the glass, pulling down seven rebounds, four were offensive boards. Mara chipped in with seven points.

This was a game that the Bruins were supposed to win by a wide margin and they did that. It seems that multiple issues from last week have taken strides to be fixed. The Bruins still turned the ball over 15 times, but an improvement from 21 giveaways a game ago.

Another home game is on the horizon for the Bruins as they get ready to welcome Lehigh (0-2) to Pauley Pavilion. It will be another chance for this team to reduce the turnovers, continue to shoot better from range and distribute the ball across the entire roster.

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