LOS ANGELES — At a UCLA practice last week, Coach Mick Cronin explained that he believes his Bruins don’t have a clear cut best player. It’s a strength, he said then. He, however, followed that statement by saying that program outsiders might place forward Tyler Bilodeau atop the totem pole.
That might be true, as Bilodeau entered Tuesday night leading the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game, but as he struggled to find the bottom of the net against Southern Utah, that strength in numbers Cronin was referring to became clear.
Bilodeau shot 2 for 10 from the field, but the Bruins’ offense still flourished. Lazar Stefanovic came off the bench to lead the team with a season-high 19 points. Eric Dailey Jr. had 15 points and Dylan Andrews added 11 as the Bruins routed Southern Utah, 88-43. The Bruins also had their best turnover margin of the season, a stat Cronin feels directly correlates to winning as it dictates the difference in possessions for each team, hence the difference in scoring opportunities.
UCLA (6-1) forced 30 turnovers and gave the ball up to the Thunderbirds (6-2) just eight times.
The Bruins dropped out of the AP Top 25 after losing the second game of their season to New Mexico, and have received just five votes to return since. That national metric, though, isn’t as important nor as indicative to success as their stout defensive rating – 10th in the country, according to KenPom – and their constantly improving turnover-margin, which impacts that stat.
In their final tune up before their first Big Ten game, the Bruins had their best outing in that category.
Cronin and a number of players have mentioned on multiple occasions that, with the Bruins’ depth, it can be anyone’s night.
If there’s any player who embodies the selflessness behind that motto, it’s Stefanovic, who started all 33 games in 2023 but is coming off the bench during his senior season.
Tuesday, though, was Stefanovic’s night. He checked in at the 12:34 mark of the first half and missed his first shot before swishing the next five. His constant appraisal of his teammates reverberated unto him as they found him open time and again. Stefanovic scored 13 points before halftime, taking a total of two dribbles to complete those scoring opportunities.
He continued that streak into the second half, hitting two more jump shots, before finishing off a fast-break with a rim-scraping dunk, enlivening the Bruins’ bench. The celebration continued into an ensuing timeout and displayed the type of teammate and leader Stefanovic is.
Andrews, another senior who has seen his usage drop, enjoyed his most efficient offensive night. He got hot and scored nine of his 11 points in a short, 2:21 span early in the second half. He got comfortable on the left elbow, knocking down a trio of jumpers. Then, he extended his range to the top of the key for a step-back 3-pointer.
The fact that UCLA can enjoy success on offense through its first six games prior to tonight, without production from two of its top returning players, and then Tuesday, with its leading scorer dropping just four points, is a testament to the depth this team boasts.
Th Bruins will try to carry that into a matchup with Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
More to come on this story.
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