LOS ANGELES — We’re 40 minutes into the UCLA basketball season and Mick Cronin is already displeased.
And for good reason.
In Monday night’s season opener against Eastern Washington, UCLA’s perimeter defense was listless and its rim protection non-existent. The Bruins’ guards stood straight up and were half-hearted on close outs. Their big men were late in help defense and baited by pump fakes. They allowed 38 points in the paint.
When Donovan Dent missed a wide-open dunk attempt in the second half, Cronin bit his lip. When Skyy Clark dribbled the ball off his foot, he threw up his hands in disbelief.
Cronin never fully broke, but he seemingly wanted to as No. 12 UCLA (1-0) sputtered throughout an 80-74 win.
If the Bruins felt good about themselves after a pair of convincing exhibition wins against West Coast powerhouses, Eastern Washington (0-1) quickly erased that confidence.
The Eagles’ hustle and activity on the offensive glass, their wariness on backdoor cuts led to easy baskets. Guard Isaiah Moses torched UCLA with off-the-dribble moves in the halfcourt. He came off a ball screen and knocked down a right-wing 3-pointer that gave the Eagles an 18-17 advantage. They led by as much as three after a pair of free throws from Johnny Radford.
The EWU offense benefited from a weak perimeter defensive showing from UCLA, which gave out straight line drives like candy on Halloween.
On the other side, the Eagles’ defense vacillated between quirky zone looks. They came out in a soft full-court press, played a bit of 2-3, and even briefly switched into a 1-3-1.
Dent, identifying this, tried to create transition opportunities, penetrating before the defense could set up. He Euro-stepped into a pair of and-one layups. His passing helped break the zone, too, as he found Tyler Bilodeau on the left wing for a 3-pointer, and again at the high post for a turnaround jump shot.
He led all scores with 21 points, adding nine assists. Bilodeau finished with 19.
UCLA’s perimeter defense didn’t improve much in the second half, but it ratcheted up the intensity to create turnovers. Clark picked up Eastern Washington’s guards in the backcourt, his activity improving on both sides. He attacked the rim in transition with a smooth crossover to give the Bruins a 54-39 lead.
When it seemed like the Bruins would pull away, the visitors responded with a pair of baskets from point-blank range. Then consecutive 3-pointers from Jojo Anderson and Al Hamilton IV cut the margin back to nine. Dent turned his back and lost his man on the first. Perry allowed a cut through the middle of the paint leading to the assist on the second.
Dent and Bilodeau hit 3-pointers to restore a safe lead. Perry drove and dished to Bilodeau for a layup. He scored in the short post twice more.
In the final minute, Eastern Washington got as close as six points. The Eagles never truly threatened the Bruins from the win column, but they certainly exposed some flaws.
More to come on this story.