UCLA runs out of offense, Bruins season ends with 73-57 loss to UConn
UCLA played without All-Big Ten forward Tyler Bilodeau on Sunday and it made a big difference. UConn ended UCLA's season in the second round.
It was a valiant effort but the UCLA Bruins ran out of offense against the UConn Huskies in the second round of the NCAA tournament. With Tyler Bilodeau missing a third-straight game the Bruins ’ scoring ran out of juice, falling 73-57. UCLA missed Tyler Bilodeau's offense once again For the second-straight game, it seemed as if the Bruins would be getting Bilodeau back.
But once again UCLA had to face a do-or-die game without their leading scorer. Unlike the Bruins’ first round win over UCF, the supporting pieces didn’t step up on Sunday. The Bruins defense did an admirable job Mick Cronin, who picked up a technical foul for clapping, had his UCLA defense humming, as they had the UConn offense all out of sorts for most of the first half.
However, the Bruins weren’t able to create enough separation while the Husky offense struggled, as UConn roared back and led 38-33 at halftime. UConn legend Alex Karabon led the way The longtime UConn forward Alex Karabon drowned the Bruins. Karabon scored a career-high 27 points, with the four-year starter knocking down four threes.
Karabon calmed the waters for UConn, who turned the ball over 16 times and shot 47% from the field. The supporting cast didn't do enough for a UCLA win In the win against UCF, Eric Dailey Jr , Xavier Booker and Trent Perry all played strong games. The trio was less impactful on Sunday, combining for 30 points on 11-27 shooting.