Mick Cronin, ever the dog-loving clairvoyant, knew what it was going to take to beat the Toreros – defense.
The coach knew where the Bruins would struggle – physicality.
But even if it was just a dress rehearsal, Cronin and No. 22 UCLA men’s basketball were able to adjust out of the break, turning a six-point lead at the half into an 82-50 win over San Diego at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA will begin its season Monday in Las Vegas against No. 5 Arizona after sweeping its two-game exhibition slate.
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“‘I told you so’ – that’s what I said at halftime,” Cronin said. “When I was hanging out with my dog after shootaround, I was telling him it’s going to be ugly tonight. … Experience told me we were going to struggle offensively.”
Cronin added that sophomore guard Azavier Robinson, who shot 0-for-6 from the field and finished with two points, may have been the most important player in Tuesday’s win.
“Ten deflections, four steals, … four rebounds for a guy that’s 6-foot-2,” Cronin said. “He’s just a winning player, and he’s only a sophomore.”
The going-on third-year starter for the Bruins, senior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr., had an uncharacteristic performance against San Diego after putting up 25 against California Baptist, including seven 3-pointers. Dailey had just two points at halftime, failing to make any of his four shots from the field, despite playing all but three minutes up to that point.
Cronin deployed Dailey for just eight minutes in the second half, allowing the upperclassman to sit back on the bench for rest.
Junior guard Trent Perry finished with a game-high 17 points on 4-for-7 shooting with six rebounds, seven assists and a game-best plus-minus of 27 in 27 minutes played.
“We didn’t have good habits (in the first half),” Perry said. “We were kind of complacent on defense. They were outhustling us. … When we came out in the second half, we just had more of a defensive mentality, and we were crashing the boards better than the first half.”
Cronin credited sophomore forward/center Filip Jović with getting the Bruins’ offense going after he was sent to the line three times in the first half, accumulating five points on six free throws. He ended the night shooting 10-for-12 from the charity stripe, helping UCLA to a 31-for-38 clip on free throws.
Nikola Kusturica saw just 16 minutes of playing time, but that largely seemed influenced by his rapid rate of personal fouls. The freshman guard/forward started the second half but was pulled after just 47 seconds following his third foul of the game.
Kusturica was back on the floor with 13:42 to go, but just 14 seconds later, Cronin sent him to the bench following his fourth foul.
Freshman guard/forward Joe Philon III filled the gap left by Kusturica with 11 points off 3-for-7 shooting with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 24 minutes – but he didn’t necessarily avoid foul trouble either.
Philon ended the night with four personal fouls, including a technical, which was called a double technical foul on Philon and San Diego forward Antonio Munoz that both seemed to disagree with.
Cronin and the Bruins knew – or at least learned – what it will take for the team to play up to its ability.
“There were a lot of loose balls that we just didn’t get,” said sophomore guard Jaylen Petty, who had nine points, four rebounds and five assists. “We just have to step that up.”
Whether or not UCLA is able to translate those lessons to the regular season will have to wait until Monday.
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