UCLA Basketball: Bruins Starter Injured During Marquette Game

Uh oh.

UCLA Bruins men's basketball starting point guard Dylan Andrews departed the Cardinal and Gold's surprisingly strong showing tonight against Shaka Smart's nationally-ranked Marquette Golden Bears, currently about halfway through its second half.

Under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach Tyler Lesher, Andrews initially iced his knees, before switching to an oversized ice bag on his back, as he actively applied a deep tissue massage gun on the knees.

When Andrews first departed, Marquette quickly went on a brutal 9-0 run to wrestle away control midway through the frame. Though Andrews did return to the floor eventually, it didn't stop the bleeding initially. The Golden Eagles kept piling on, and when the dust had settled the tear only extended to 17-0.

For now, Marquette is on top, 57-54, with 8:40 remaining in regulation. The Bruins had led by as many as 12 points during the second half, but the Golden Eagles have rallied. 

Maybe head coach Mick Cronin should employ the services of 7'3" five-star freshman center Aday Mara, recently demoted back to the bench, a bit more? Just a thought.

The 6'2" sophomore out of Gardena has had an uneven go of it just four games into the 2023-24 NCAA season. On the hardwood, he's been a bit erratic as a scorer. Off it, he's apparently gotten on Mick Cronin's nerves, as he was a healthy scratch during last week's win over the Long Island University Sharks. To Cronin's credit, Andrews was reinserted into the first five tonight.

Andrews is off to a very efficient start tonight, in UCLA's inaugural contest at the Maui Invitational. He's recorded eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting line, four assists, two steals and a rebound.

Tune in to Luke Walton's inimitable color commentary on ESPN2 as this thing heads into the home stretch.

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