Bruins Sophomore Star Sounds Off After First Conference Win

The UCLA Bruins tipped off Big Ten play at home on Tuesday night with a convincing double-digit win over the Washington Huskies. Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack led the way with 16 points and an incredible amount of free throws.

Nov 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks to guard Sebastian Mack (12) during the first half against the Boston University Terriers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (7-1) finished their six-game home stand with a win over the Washington Huskies (6-2) for their first Big Ten win in school history for men's basketball. The Bruins came out with a 69-58 win behind sophomore guard Sebastian Mack and junior forward Tyler Bilodeau's 16 points each.

Mack finished 4-12 from the field, but went to the free-throw line 12 times and made seven of those shots. It was the second time this season that Mack has shot dougle-digit free throws. He spoke on what his mindset is when he is in that mode and able to positively impact the game in multiple ways.

"It's really just seeing what we need, if that's even a steal, rebound, or anything," Mack said after the win. "I feel like we could have done some more things on the offensive end, but it still trickles down [from] the defense. We did miss a lot of free throws, a lot of honey dips, but we'll go back into practice and work on that. But other than that though, I feel like it's just really based off mental and what you see in the game, how you get that feel."

The sophomore added five rebounds and three assists to his stat line. He scored in double figures for the fifth time in eight games this season. With an eight-point lead and a few minutes to play, Mack drilled a dagger three-pointer that would put the Bruins up by 11 and out of reach for the Huskies.

Mack spoke on a common theme that has surrounded this Bruins team which is their ability to rely on multiple different players to contribute and have the hot hand each night. The experience and depth on this team is top in the nation, and it was on display once again, this time with Mack leading the way.

"I feel like my teammates knew I probably had the hand tonight, and how I realize it when my other guys got the hand too," Mack said. "We got a lot of great guys on our team, so we can bounce off each other."

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