Mack Attack. The Return of the Mack. The Mack Strikes Back.
Every nickname fit Sebastian Mack on Tuesday night, when the UCLA guard came off the bench to spark his team every time it needed a lift in its first-ever Big Ten Conference game.
It wasn’t just Mack’s usual array of drives toward the basket that helped the Bruins hold off Washington for a 69-58 victory at Pauley Pavilion.
The sophomore also was a steadying force with his rebounding and defense. He finished with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal as the Bruins (7-1) won their sixth consecutive game heading into a road showdown against unbeaten Oregon on Sunday.
Mack’s three-pointer with 4 minutes 13 seconds left lifted UCLA to an 11-point lead, energizing the liveliest home crowd of the season. Forward Tyler Bilodeau contributed 16 points and nine rebounds and point guard Dylan Andrews added 12 points for the Bruins.
After Mick Cronin’s team beat up on practically every nonconference opponent, UCLA’s victories coming by an average of 33 points, the coach wanted to see if the same favorable trends would hold up in the Big Ten opener.
Could the Bruins still force turnovers at an absurd rate?
Could they make scoring a chore?
Could they win comfortably?
No, yes and yes.
UCLA center Aday Mara celebrates after scoring against Washington in the first half Tuesday night.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
UCLA forced only 12 turnovers and made just 11 of 22 free throws but prevailed thanks to its usual suffocating defense that limited Washington to 38.8% shooting. Forward Great Osobor scored 14 points for the Huskies (6-2), who made only three of 16 three-pointers (18.8%).
UCLA withstood a sloppy stretch in which it went scoreless for more than six minutes to hold a 29-24 halftime lead. It looked like the Bruins might give Washington the same sort of flogging it handed its previous opponents when backup center Aday Mara made a putback to cap a 12-0 run that gave UCLA a 23-12 advantage. The 7-foot-3 Mara had been a huge factor to that point, piling up four points, three rebounds and two blocks in only seven minutes before picking up a second foul and heading to the bench.
UCLA’s Dylan Andrews, right, grabs a rebound in front of Washington center KC Ibekwe and UCLA center Aday Mara in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Huskies countered with a 9-0 run fueled in part by UCLA turnovers. Andrews was an especially egregious culprit, losing his dribble for one turnover and failing to get the ball inbounds within five seconds for another.
UCLA was fortunate that Mack went on the attack, repeatedly driving to the basket and getting fouled to help his team extend its narrow cushion.