UCLA can't keep pace in second half during loss at Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. —  Three days after calling his players “soft” and “delusional” in their estimation of their abilities, Mick Cronin wasn’t around to offer a final assessment Friday night.

The UCLA coach was in the locker room, having been ejected with five minutes and 14 seconds left after receiving two rapid-fire technical fouls with his unraveling team down by nine points.

It wasn’t the final indignity for his team. Far from it.

UCLA couldn’t get out of its own way inside the Xfinity Center, the No. 22 Bruins stumbling to a 79-61 loss to Maryland that represented a season-worst third consecutive defeat.

Being soft wasn’t the primary problem on this night. Holding on to the ball or throwing a pass without it being stolen were the big challenges confronting the Bruins.

UCLA committed 21 turnovers, tying its worst showing of the season, while getting outmuscled by another team. If this was a crossroads, then the Bruins (11-5 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) certainly took the wrong turn.

Forward Tyler Bilodeau scored 18 points and guard Trent Perry added 10 off the bench, becoming the only Bruins to reach double figures on a night the team shot 41.5% to Maryland’s 54%. Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the Terrapins (12-4, 2-3) with 27 points.

In need of a confidence boost, UCLA’s Dylan Andrews followed a pull-up jumper with a tough turnaround baseline jumper to pull his team within 53-47 with 12:36 left.

But a flurry of turnovers followed and an irate Cronin was quickly tossed after apparently voicing his displeasure with the referees.

It was only a little more than two years ago that UCLA came here and bludgeoned the Terrapins, leading by as many as 30 points in the first half of a runaway victory. That sort of showing felt like a distant memory Friday.

There were some coming-of-age moments in the first half for Perry, who played with increasing confidence the longer he was in the game.

Among his highlights were a backdoor reverse layup off a pass from Skyy Clark, a steal of a cross-court pass and an offensive rebound that he followed with a driving layup. Perry’s seven points by halftime were more than twice as many as the three points he had collected in the previous four Big Ten games while looking shaky during his brief stints on the court.

UCLA’s 40-36 halftime deficit could have been considered something of a victory for the Bruins considering they committed 11 turnovers — several while having the ball stripped — and allowed Maryland to shoot 51.7%.

There was nothing worthwhile left to come for the Bruins.