Bruins' Mick Cronin Frustrated After First Loss

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins had a disappointing showing in their second game of the season, falling to New Mexico at a neutral site on Friday night. Coach Mick Cronin spoke after the game and was extremely frustrated in his team's performance.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin during the first half against the Rider Broncs at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins failed to match the intensity of the New Mexico Lobos, falling 72-64 on Friday night at a neutral location in Henderson, Nev. Sixth-year

A frustrating showing from the Bruins, turning the ball over 21 times and failing to take care of the basketball on key possessions. There were points in the game for the Bruins to make a comeback but those moments were stymied by costly turnovers that led to buckets on the other end.

Bruins coach Mick Cronin gave his overall thoughts on the performance and led with the key stat that hurt the Bruins the most.

"21 turnovers. It's hard to beat division two teams with 21 turnovers," Cronin said after the game. "Obviously, extremely disappointed, extremely disappointed in in some of our guards, disappointed in our taking care of three things. You've got to defend, rebound, take care of the ball. We didn't defend, we didn't take care of the ball."

Cronin talked about the intensity of the team not reaching the level of their opponent. He is a very honest coach that will not sugarcoat things when there are issues. He made that known once again postgame.

"We tried, but they don't listen," Cronin said. "They did not listen, they learned the hard way. But ultimately, I don't blame them, [I] blame the coaching staff. Got to make sure they're ready, we weren't ready for the the intensity of this game. You could see clearly, it was very obvious. I mean, Sebastian Mack just got people taking the ball from him. He's anything but a soft kid."

Mack is a sophomore guard that is returning for a larger role in his second year under Cronin. He finished with two points and three turnovers in nine minutes of action. He was not the only Bruin to have a handful of turnovers.

"You get 21 turnovers, you lose by eight, what if you have 10, you 11 more possessions," Cronin said. "I mean, Dylan [G Dylan Andrews] and Sebastian throwing the ball for away for layups, just giving it to them for layups. I told him 'guys, we were better than that last year', but we had a lack of talent."

The junior guard, Andrews, had a team-high six giveaways, adding just four points and two assists. Cronin definitely expects more from one of his veteran guys. Andrews and Mack will surely learn from their early struggles and respond in a significant way.

Freshman guard Trent Perry did receive some valuable minutes and was one of the few bright spots in the loss. He chipped in with eight points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists with just one turnover. Perry showed his grit to be involved in every play, a big reason why he played 23 minutes.

"He's [Perry] young, I thought he did a solid job," Cronin said. "I thought he went in and mixed it up, tried to get some loose balls and some rebounds. He got in the fight, other guys standing and watching."

The biggest point from this brutal loss is the fact that it happened so early in the year. The Bruins will have three more weeks to prepare for their first season in the Big Ten. Cronin and the rest of the coaching staff will analyze the issues and make the correct change to be successful going forward.

"It's good to play a game early like this," Cronin said. "Obviously, for me to be able to assess where we're at and what needs to happen just get a dose of reality."

The Bruins will flush the loss and move on to their next opponent when they return home to face Boston University on Monday, Nov. 11th. Cronin's group will surely make adjustments and it will begin to show over the next few contests.

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