Bruins Transfer Guard Honest About Upset Loss

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins lost their first game of the season on Friday night to New Mexico at a neutral location in Nevada. USC transfer guard Kobe Johnson spoke to the media postgame.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (center) jockeys for position under the basket between Rider Broncs forward Tariq Ingraham (left) and Rider Broncs guard T.J. Weeks Jr. (right) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The No.22 UCLA Bruins suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night, falling to New Mexico 72-64, in a neutral location in Henderson, Nev.

Senior captain forward Kobe Johnson spoke to the media following the loss and spoke on the areas they came up short in.

"I think it was just being physical just being tough," Johnson said. "I take a lot of blame for myself for not being a leader out there and not holding everybody accountable. So, we just got to be tough that's all it is."

The Bruins turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 21 extra points for the Lobos. A lack of care for the basketball is what led this team to an early deficit that they would never be able to recover from. Johnson identified the biggest reason for so many turnovers.

 "Just laziness, that's pretty much it," Johnson said. "Just careless with the ball. Again, as a leader, I got to make sure we all good. We just got to take care of the ball, that's pretty much it. There's definitely that portion of the game where we're still trying to figure out everybody's games. But, we're all old enough players to know how to take care of the ball. We just gotta do be better in that portion. I mean, from top to bottom, we all got to take care of the ball."

It was not like the Bruins did not have a game plan coming in. There was a blueprint for victory and the Bruins failed to execute in several aspects to come out on top. Johnson took most of the blame, being one of the newest captains for this team after transferring from in-state rival, USC.

"[Our] Coaches told us what we needed to do," Johnson said. "They told us how to guard them, how to execute, we just didn't follow through. Again, I take blame for that as a captain. I got to lead this team. I got to make sure we do the little things to win."

The Bruins will have a few days to regroup before they hit the hardwood on Monday, Nov. 11th when they battle Boston University. This should be another game similar to the season opener, where the Bruins can fine-tune some things and work on their issues.

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