UCLA basketball beat Rutgers 72-59 in Big Ten Tournament

CHICAGO – Mick Cronin has delivered a message to his players about longevity in the postseason.

“If you have to score 80 to win,” the UCLA basketball coach said late Thursday night, “you’re going to be going home early.”

The Bruins will play at least one more game in the Big Ten Tournament because their defense saved them once more from needing a big offensive showing.

UCLA’s 72-59 victory over Rutgers at the United Center represented its latest lockdown effort. The Bruins have won three games in a row and five of their last six games largely because of what they’ve done on the defensive end.

They’ve given up an average of 60 points over their last four victories, an especially encouraging development for a team that struggled to get stops for most of the season.

“You’ve got to be able to take defense on the road,” Cronin said. “Your jump shot doesn’t always go on the road with you.”

It certainly didn’t accompany them here Thursday.

The Bruins shot just 38.3 percent — their worst shooting accuracy in a victory this season — and were even worse from long range, making seven of 23 3-pointers (30.4 percent).

They were far more productive on the other end of the court, which kept them fully engaged. Forward Brandon Williams made three steals off the bench and backup big man Xavier Booker had two blocks.

“We were in the huddle having great energy because we were playing so good on defense and just playing hard,” UCLA point guard Donovan Dent said after collecting 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first player in Big Ten Tournament history with a triple-double. “It’s a better game for us. When shots aren’t falling, it’s fine, just pick it up on the defensive side. I think we’re doing a great job of that right now.”

Their finest work came in shutting down Tariq Francis one night after the Rutgers guard scorched Minnesota for 29 points.

With UCLA guard Skyy Clark shadowing his every move and reserve guard Eric Freeny blocking one of his shots, Francis missed his first five shots on the way to going scoreless in the first half.

Things didn’t get much better for Francis after halftime. He finally scored on a pair of free throws with nine minutes left and finished with just six points while making two of 11 shots.

“They sent bodies at him,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said of the Bruins. “They put size on him. I think, when you watch us play, especially the night before, then you see 29 points. Mick is a great coach, and he’s a really good defensive coach. He was well prepared.”

A stickler for detail on the defensive end, Cronin noted that Francis missed some open shots and that his players failed to stay with Rutgers guard Harun Zrno, who hurt the Bruins with three 3-pointers in the first half.

But the only number that really mattered was on the scoreboard.

“They scored 59 points,” Cronin said before going on to mention the influence of one of his coaching mentors. “Bob Huggins 101. You’ve got to be able to win when you don’t make shots. He got in the Hall of Fame that way. He taught me that.

“I think one time when I was on the bench with him, we won nine games in a row shooting under 40 percent, like the late ’90s at Cincinnati. You’ve got to be able to win when you don’t make shots. If not, you’re an average team because you’re not making them every game.”

Have the Bruins unlocked something that can sustain them for weeks to come? They’ll get a better idea Friday night when they face third-seeded Michigan State, which scored 82 points during a blowout victory over them last month.

Even meeting Cronin’s threshold of 80 points wouldn’t have gotten it done against the Spartans.

“I’ve got a lot of buttons to push before 8 o’clock [Friday] night because they took us to the woodshed last time we played,” Cronin said of the Spartans. “We’ll find out [Friday] how good our defense is, and if we win, we’ll find out more Saturday.”

And if it holds up again, they’ll get to play in the championship Sunday, fully aware of their best hope for sustainability this time of year.

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