March Madness: UCLA overcomes Aday Mara injury to defeat the state of Utah

Lexington, Ky. – This was the wish in the past spring when Mick Cronin put together his roster again in order to burst it in the most important games for every possibility.

A player is due to injuries. Another is limited by bad difficulties. A third has one night.

No matter what happened or who did what, the UCLA would have a supply of players who could do the work.

What if everyone played well that night? Well, that’s just a bonus.

The Bruins enjoyed this type of Bonanza at their NCAA tournament opener on Thursday evening, and the bad problems of ADAY Mara and Eric Dailey Jr. to win so comfortably that Jack Seidler was able to dribble over the last seconds in the Rupp Arena in the last seconds.

After the seventh US state of Utah, 72-47, in a game in the Midwest region, the seven players were in the changing room after the UCLA occurred in the first round.

Mara, who could have been the best pass of the game to teammates Skyy Clark for a dark, and ended with 10 points, six rebounds, five blocks and two assists in just 20 minutes, joked about the templates he lost because teammates could not complete the game.

“This was my favorite,” said Mara about his support at Clark, “because I threw the praise on E-Day (Dailey) and he missed it and then gave this guy a layup here.”

Mara referred to the Suitemate Lazar Stefanovic, who happened to pass the changing room. Stefanovic prevailed and was bumped into by the humor of his teammate and the ball movement of his team. The UCLA had 22 templates in its 26 baskets to make the Lockdown defense on the way to a showdown against Tennessee on Saturday at 6.40 p.m. PDT.

“They played the zone,” said Mara about the Aggies. “So when we cut, we were open.”

The Utah State Guard Mason Falslev, left and the UCLA guard Kobe Johnson in the second half on Thursday for a loose ball.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

The key sequence for the Bruins (23-10) came early in the second half. Mara, who had pulverized the Aggies (26-8) at both ends of the courtyard, rolled his left ankle and limp until the end of the bank, while coach Tyler Lesher tended for his injury.

What triggered the bruins for the next five minutes with their biggest difference?

They increased an 11-point lead to 20.

Clark buried a three pointer and Kobe Johnson followed a three pointer from a corner with one of the other, kissed his fingers and raised her in one night when her team played some of her best defense of the season.

“Defensive efforts were great,” said Cronin. “Her spirit and mind to be a great defensive team tonight Utah took the state of Utah out of her comfort zone. And uncomfortable teams shoot a low percentage.”

There were even more encouraging developments. Mara put a support wrap on his ankle and returned before the UCLA closed the aggies relatively easily. The last few minutes did not like earlier games from earlier in the season. Dailey pushed the bad problems in the first half to achieve 12 of his 14 points in the second half.

In another uplifting sign, the Bruins received an excellent guard game to develop Mara’s dominance. Clark made four out of seven three points on the way to 14 points, and Dylan Andrews added Ian Martinez (two points in one-on-one 11 shootout) with eight points and eight templates against just one turnover to an oppressive defense.

“When your guards play like this,” said Aggies coach Jerrod Calhoun:

The UCLA came here to need a culinary cleaner after the Big Ten Turnerner Obks against Wisconsin, which Cronin called Boston Celtics, made three points due to the similar ability of Badgers than Boston Celtics.

The bruins were locked up to ensure that there would be no repetition.

“We had great three days of practice – really, very great,” said Stefanovic. “Everyone knew what we had to do and we knew from inside and outside in Utah and we did perfectly.”

Playing this team was a kind of transmission in view of the love of awake aggies to long -distance shots. The Bruins did a lot better work to stay with her husband, and held Utah’s state from Utah to four out of 31 three-clusters (12.9%). Aggies Guard Mason Falslevs 17 points and 10 rebounds were not nearly enough to keep things competitive.

“Just suppress the ball, don’t let it make easy passes, they just do everything we could,” said Clark about a plan of his team that was carried out on almost perfection. “We knew on the ball screens that they would like to be exaggerated on the Pick -Ad -Roll, or they like to throw them to the lift man, so they have high hands and a hard flash was definitely one of the key.”

Mara dominated despite a sinus infection in which he fought in Los Angeles since leaving the team. In the first half he took a pass and was revolving around Aubin Gateretse in the state of Utah for a dunk and took another for one jumping hook.

Neither the sinus infection nor the aggies had a chance.

“It was like my neck – I feel like my voice, but it’s okay,” said Mara. “It is only more difficult for me to breathe, but it’s fine.”

Mara’s best route later came in the first half when Johnson fed him on two successive possessions for Dunks, whereby the second support of Johnson contributed to making a binoculars into gesture. The Bruins had rolled up 12 consecutive points to take over a lead from 14 points to 26 in the second half.

If it was not a statement game, it was a confirmation of Cronin’s ability to rebuild his squad.

“We have a lot of people who can play,” said Stefanovic. “A man could go down, but we have people in the rotation who can produce, and that happened. I think it will be really important for this whole tournament while we continue.”

A victory to get another opportunity.