POSTGAME QUOTES
Washington State 77, UCLA 65
Pullman, Wash. (Beasley Coliseum)
March 2, 2024
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach
on UCLA being out-rebounded by Washington State
“Our lack of rebounding, but we’re trying to block out, every foul is on us, but, our lack of rebounding killed us. Adem [Bona] had one rebound, Berke [Buyuktuncel] had none, Aday [Mara] had none, and Brandon [Williams] had two. That’s like 80 minutes right there with your biggest guys.”
on the shot clock violations
“They played good, I thought they scrambled. We passed up shots, we are supposed to throw the ball inside, turn and score, and Adem got gun shy, he kept holding the ball, and we passed up some shots. But give them credit, give their defense credit on that.”
on positives he saw out of the guys today
“Dylan on the whole road trip. First of all, I thought we competed. I thought there were things beyond our control that changed the game. That being said, I think that our rebounding got us beat, or lack there of. It’s just hard to win when they shoot 33 free throws to your 11. When you are up 13, but every foul is on you in the first half. 12-2 fouls at halftime. But we are the team winning, and they are the team pressuring and fouling the ball every play.”
on getting production out of the four spot (regarding Brandon and Berke)
“They are going to be good players. I mean one is 18 and one is 19. We are too young in this era of college basketball, but at the end of the day nobody cares. It’s great experience for them. Brandon Williams has got heart. He was cramping the entire second half and trying to play through it. But Adem had one rebound, and Lazar had eight tonight, and he’s our leading rebounder on the season – that is part of our problem. Our frontline has to be better on the glass. You get in games like this against a top-20 team on the road. All of our great effort, all your great defensive effort goes for naught if you can’t control the defensive backboard. It just breaks your back, and then you end up getting a foul, or they end up hitting a three, because you can’t control your backboard. That was the difference in the game tonight. Any team, you can’t control your defensive backboard, it negates all of your effort and hustle and good defense. It’s just demoralizing. That’s our biggest problem. That’s what got us beat, without question. We go on the road, shoot 47 percent, shoot 40 percent from three, and shoot 82 [percent] from the foul line. It’s two straight games defensively we could not get the job done on the backboard.”
UCLA sophomore guard Dylan Andrews
on the Bruins taking an early lead and what changed later in the first half
“For sure, we came out strong. We hit first. It felt good to be able to do that. We got a run early in the game, but basketball’s a game full of runs – especially playing Washington State. You’re not about to come in here and just beat them by 30, 40 points. They’re going to come back and they’re going to go on their run, so that’s what they did and I feel like we failed to adjust on that. But we played hard throughout the whole, entire game.”
on what’s allowed him to have back-to-back strong performances
“Just staying confident. I’m trying to do whatever it takes to get my team the W. I feel like I’ve got to go back to the drawing board. We’ve got to keep going.”
on if it was hard to get into a rhythm with a lot of whistles blown
“For sure, yeah. When there are ticky-tack fouls like that, you’ve just got to know. It’s hard for sure to get a rhythm, but you can’t let that affect the way you’re going to play in the game. It’s a long game, so you’ve just got to figure out how the refs are calling the game and use that to your advantage.”
on learning lessons to help the team, moving forward, in tight games like this
“For sure, we’ve got a lot of young guys. This is their first time actually traveling playing Washington State, traveling playing SC, traveling playing Washington. I feel like every game, you learn something from each game. I know I do, for sure.”
on Aday Mara’s contributions in four minutes off the bench
“I love when we have guys that come in just ready to play and just prepare. I feel like Aday did that. He gave us some strong minutes and we love him for that.”
UCLA junior guard/forward Lazar Stefanovic
on what Washington State did to turn rhythm in its favor
“I think they started driving the ball and beating us on the dribble. I think our defense got a bit worse, we got I guess a little bit tired. I think that changed a little bit of rhythm. They got some easy ones in transition and that’s how they got fans involved and that’s how they got back in it.”
on Washington State’s second-half run after a flagrant foul was assessed to Will McClendon
“You got two free throws and the ball, so that means something. At the moment, we huddled up, we said we’ve got to keep playing. We’re up at the moment, we tried to do our best. It looked like it gave [Washington State] extra motivation and they went on a run.”
on if Washington State was more physical, looking at rebounds
“Yeah, obviously. I think minus-15, if I’m not wrong.”
on how much team needs Adem Bona to contribute on the boards
“We need him on the boards, but it’s hard because every team goes and puts probably two guys on him to block him out. He draws a lot of attention and, honestly, it’s how I get a lot of mine because he either boxes out a guy or he draws attention from the other guys so someone else should get them. I think the other guys should do a better job – everybody else, not only him, at getting rebounds.”
on if this game was a step forward at all
“Yeah, we talked a lot about our attitude and effort after the Washington game, and USC game, as well. We responded to that and we did a much better job on that end.”
Washington State 77, UCLA 65
Pullman, Wash. (Beasley Coliseum)
March 2, 2024
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach
on UCLA being out-rebounded by Washington State
“Our lack of rebounding, but we’re trying to block out, every foul is on us, but, our lack of rebounding killed us. Adem [Bona] had one rebound, Berke [Buyuktuncel] had none, Aday [Mara] had none, and Brandon [Williams] had two. That’s like 80 minutes right there with your biggest guys.”
on the shot clock violations
“They played good, I thought they scrambled. We passed up shots, we are supposed to throw the ball inside, turn and score, and Adem got gun shy, he kept holding the ball, and we passed up some shots. But give them credit, give their defense credit on that.”
on positives he saw out of the guys today
“Dylan on the whole road trip. First of all, I thought we competed. I thought there were things beyond our control that changed the game. That being said, I think that our rebounding got us beat, or lack there of. It’s just hard to win when they shoot 33 free throws to your 11. When you are up 13, but every foul is on you in the first half. 12-2 fouls at halftime. But we are the team winning, and they are the team pressuring and fouling the ball every play.”
on getting production out of the four spot (regarding Brandon and Berke)
“They are going to be good players. I mean one is 18 and one is 19. We are too young in this era of college basketball, but at the end of the day nobody cares. It’s great experience for them. Brandon Williams has got heart. He was cramping the entire second half and trying to play through it. But Adem had one rebound, and Lazar had eight tonight, and he’s our leading rebounder on the season – that is part of our problem. Our frontline has to be better on the glass. You get in games like this against a top-20 team on the road. All of our great effort, all your great defensive effort goes for naught if you can’t control the defensive backboard. It just breaks your back, and then you end up getting a foul, or they end up hitting a three, because you can’t control your backboard. That was the difference in the game tonight. Any team, you can’t control your defensive backboard, it negates all of your effort and hustle and good defense. It’s just demoralizing. That’s our biggest problem. That’s what got us beat, without question. We go on the road, shoot 47 percent, shoot 40 percent from three, and shoot 82 [percent] from the foul line. It’s two straight games defensively we could not get the job done on the backboard.”
UCLA sophomore guard Dylan Andrews
on the Bruins taking an early lead and what changed later in the first half
“For sure, we came out strong. We hit first. It felt good to be able to do that. We got a run early in the game, but basketball’s a game full of runs – especially playing Washington State. You’re not about to come in here and just beat them by 30, 40 points. They’re going to come back and they’re going to go on their run, so that’s what they did and I feel like we failed to adjust on that. But we played hard throughout the whole, entire game.”
on what’s allowed him to have back-to-back strong performances
“Just staying confident. I’m trying to do whatever it takes to get my team the W. I feel like I’ve got to go back to the drawing board. We’ve got to keep going.”
on if it was hard to get into a rhythm with a lot of whistles blown
“For sure, yeah. When there are ticky-tack fouls like that, you’ve just got to know. It’s hard for sure to get a rhythm, but you can’t let that affect the way you’re going to play in the game. It’s a long game, so you’ve just got to figure out how the refs are calling the game and use that to your advantage.”
on learning lessons to help the team, moving forward, in tight games like this
“For sure, we’ve got a lot of young guys. This is their first time actually traveling playing Washington State, traveling playing SC, traveling playing Washington. I feel like every game, you learn something from each game. I know I do, for sure.”
on Aday Mara’s contributions in four minutes off the bench
“I love when we have guys that come in just ready to play and just prepare. I feel like Aday did that. He gave us some strong minutes and we love him for that.”
UCLA junior guard/forward Lazar Stefanovic
on what Washington State did to turn rhythm in its favor
“I think they started driving the ball and beating us on the dribble. I think our defense got a bit worse, we got I guess a little bit tired. I think that changed a little bit of rhythm. They got some easy ones in transition and that’s how they got fans involved and that’s how they got back in it.”
on Washington State’s second-half run after a flagrant foul was assessed to Will McClendon
“You got two free throws and the ball, so that means something. At the moment, we huddled up, we said we’ve got to keep playing. We’re up at the moment, we tried to do our best. It looked like it gave [Washington State] extra motivation and they went on a run.”
on if Washington State was more physical, looking at rebounds
“Yeah, obviously. I think minus-15, if I’m not wrong.”
on how much team needs Adem Bona to contribute on the boards
“We need him on the boards, but it’s hard because every team goes and puts probably two guys on him to block him out. He draws a lot of attention and, honestly, it’s how I get a lot of mine because he either boxes out a guy or he draws attention from the other guys so someone else should get them. I think the other guys should do a better job – everybody else, not only him, at getting rebounds.”
on if this game was a step forward at all
“Yeah, we talked a lot about our attitude and effort after the Washington game, and USC game, as well. We responded to that and we did a much better job on that end.”