Mick Cronin breaks down UCLA's struggles at end of games

Four Ohio State starters scored in double figures as UCLA could not contain the Buckeyes in the second half of their CBS Sports Classic matchup on Saturday.

Being outscored 45-37 in the second half, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin was understandably frustrated with his team’s inability to close the gap down the stretch against Ohio State. Now, it’s led to losses in three of their last four games dating back before Thanksgiving.

“Young players break down faster. We can’t impose our will. Really good teams get better defensively in the second half — we get worse,” Cronin said postgame. “The only way to solve that is to be deeper because nobody is going to become a sophomore or a junior until next year. You’ve got to lessen guys’ minutes so their fatigue lessens so we won’t break down at the end of the game.

“As soon as the guys got out [on the court], they start to get fatigued — we can’t get stops. There was a time when Ohio State scored five straight times in the second half. I could be wrong, but it seemed like it could have been four, could have been six, but just like no life and toughness on the ball.”

Cronin pointed out that UCLA allowed 45 points in the second half as Ohio State’s three-point percentage jumped from 34 percent in the first half to 56 percent in the second. It’s also the fifth time that this Bruins team has allowed at least 40 points in a single half through the early portion of the season.

“We’ve got great kids,” Cronin said To me, it’s ability to play minutes at a high level. the reality of it is that Jan [Vide], Illane [Fibleuil] and some other guys have got to play because if we don’t lighten those guys’ minutes, it’s not going to change. To me, it’s not going to change.”

In the end, Cronin believes his guys played well enough to win. Things felt good going into the halftime locker room with a one-point lead and holding Ohio State to 22 points — but totaling seven missed free throws, seven missed layups and 10 turnovers — it all piled up and led to a 67-60 lead for the Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic.

If UCLA had made those easy baskets and held onto the ball, Cronin says his Bruins would have come out the other side victorious. That did not end up being the case, so it’s back to the drawing board for UCLA as they drop to 5-4 on the season. They’ll be forced to take this loss in stride thanks to a quick mid-week turnaround on Tuesday vs. CSU Northridge inside Pauley Pavillion.