New lineup equals big victory for UCLA men against Sacramento State
It sounded like a message sent with a bullhorn, a movement made with all the subtlety of an elbow in the ribs.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin sent regular starter Eric Dailey Jr. onto the field for a briefing Tuesday night alongside four players who are normally reserves.
The regular starters were neither ill nor injured, they simply had not provided the effort desired by their coach in training. So, in their place, Cronin started a group of players who had beaten their teammates by 20 points the day before in a game that mattered only in the Bruins coach’s mind.
Given a larger role, this new group set an undeniably energetic tone against Sacramento State at Pauley Pavilion, scoring the game’s first 13 points on the way to the No. 19 Bruins’ 79-48 victory.
“They pay me to win games and I thought that was the lineup that was ready to play tonight,” Cronin said, disputing the idea that he was warning his regular starters. “I don’t believe in messages, I don’t believe in niches.”
He believes in extracting everything his players have to give.
Trent Perry, Jamar Brown, Brandon Williams and Steven Jamerson II played scrappy defense and unselfish offense to help their team take that big early lead. A steal by Williams sparked a fast break ending with a layup by Brown in which he was fouled. A Jamerson block sparked another fast break that led to another Brown layup. Perry added a rare four-point play after making a three-pointer in which he fouled.
Before some fans reached their seats, UCLA led 13-0. Cronin didn’t insert three of his regular starters until nearly five minutes had passed, with Skyy Clark, Tyler Bilodeau and Xavier Booker finally coming on. They were joined a few minutes later by point guard Donovan Dent, the last regular starter to enter the game with 12 minutes 37 seconds left in the half.
It only took 10 seconds for Dent to make his presence felt, driving to the basket before throwing a pass to Clark for a three-pointer.
Dailey was particularly active, recording a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead four players in double-digit scoring. Booker added 12 points, Perry 11 and Brown 10 for the Bruins, who held the Hornets to 24.1 percent shooting. Jamerson appeared to be on the path to a solid defensive game with three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 10 minutes before twisting his ankle and never returning.
“Proud of the guys that started, proud of the guys that came in too,” Dailey said. “They kept going. It just shows our intensity level has to be tough to start games.”
It was UCLA’s most complete performance since its 30-point win over UC Irvine in an exhibition game late last month. The Bruins followed that with three flat performances against lesser competition before struggling in a four-point loss to Arizona last week.
It didn’t matter who was in the game for UCLA (4-1) given the talent gap with Sacramento State (3-3). The Hornets became even more exhausted midway through the first half when goalkeeper Jeremiah Cherry, their leading scorer, suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury and had to be helped back to the locker room.
Cronin followed his normal starting formation to start the second half, but pivoted quickly. Perry replaced Clark after less than a minute when Clark fouled. Then, after the Hornets scored seven straight points, more changes came. Brown and Williams returned to the game, replacing Dent and Booker.
“I gave the other guys a chance because they need to practice coming out of the locker room with more energy,” Cronin said, “and they didn’t get the job done.”
Cronin said his team recorded 33 deflections – deflected passes, recovered loose balls, steals and blocked shots – in the first half compared to just nine in the second, reflecting a decline in defensive effort.
Bilodeau was gone for good with seven minutes remaining, after committing a foul after just 18 minutes of play during which he collected six points, three rebounds and two steals. Dent had five points, seven assists, two steals and no turnovers in 24 minutes.
Cronin’s biggest concern was giving up 13 offensive rebounds, although that partly reflected the fact that Sacramento State was shooting so poorly and missing 41 shots.
“We’re not going to get anywhere,” Cronin said, “if we don’t get better on the defensive backboard.”
But will the coach return to his usual starting lineup Friday against Presbyterian?
It depends.
“We’ll see how the guys practice,” Cronin said. “Right now, we’re trying to learn to play hard enough to earn the jersey they wear. I have great respect for the jersey. I left my hometown to coach at my alma mater…because of the respect I have for UCLA basketball, and I try to demand that my players play with that kind of effort, show that same respect.”
