UCLA forward William Kyle III shoots the ball over Prairie View A&M forward Marcel Bryant during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson (23) reacts after losing control of the ball during the first half of their game against UCLA on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews looks to pass the ball as Prairie View A&M guard Orlando Horton Jr. defends during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA center Aday Mara dunks the ball during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson shoots while under pressure from UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau, left, and guard Kobe Johnson during the first half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Eric Dailey Jr. looks on during the first half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews handles the ball during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard John-Paul Ricks drives past UCLA guard Dylan Andrews during the first half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA forward William Kyle III looks to shoot while under pressure from Prairie View A&M forward Marcel Bryant, center, during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson (23) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half of their game against UCLA on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews goes up for a layup during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson, left, reacts after UCLA guard Trent Perry gets a hand on the ball during the first half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA forward William Kyle III dunks the ball during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Orlando Horton Jr. (12) looks to shoot while under pressure from UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau, left, and guard Kobe Johnson during the first half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews handles the ball during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M forward Marcel Bryant, left, handles the ball while under pressure from UCLA guard Eric Dailey Jr., center, during the first half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews looks on after taking a 3-point shot during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Kobe Johnson, right, is fouled by Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Braelon Bush reacts during the first half of their game against UCLA on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau passes the ball over Prairie View A&M forward Marcel Bryant during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau runs up the court during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews goes up for a layup during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Trent Perry looks to shoot as Prairie View A&M guard John-Paul Ricks defends during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson falls into fans seated courtside during the second half of a game against UCLA on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews, left, reacts after a missed shot during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
UCLA guard Eric Dailey Jr. looks on during the second half of their game against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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UCLA forward William Kyle III shoots the ball over Prairie View A&M forward Marcel Bryant during the second half on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/William Liang)
LOS ANGELES — Matt Barnes waltzed into Pauley Pavilion about a minute into Tuesday night’s game, taking his seat just under the basket the UCLA men’s basketball team was shooting on in the first half.
That meant, in the second half, he got an up-close-and-personal view of a Bruins defense that has forced a nation-leading 18.6 turnovers per game, a rate that is second to only Barnes’ 1998-99 freshman season (20.2) over the program’s last 25 years.
Talent and ball-handling prowess across college basketball has only improved since then. That doesn’t seem to matter to these Bruins, who boast the guard depth to full-court press for an entire game and step into passing lanes with a timely peskiness.
“We train to play really hard defensively,” Bruins head coach Mick Cronin said after Tuesday’s game.
The Bruins jumped out to a 21-8 lead before a six-minute stretch in which they didn’t record a field goal allowed the Panthers to get the margin back within single digits.
Aday Mara’s presence helped the Bruins build on their lead just before halftime. He found Skyy Clark on a backdoor cut for a layup, then his rim-protection on the other end allowed Clark to strip the ball from a Panthers ball-handler. He grabbed offensive rebounds on the next two possessions, passing the first out to Dylan Andrews for a 3-pointer and finishing the second with a put-back dunk.
“He always wants to make the assist,” Cronin said about Mara. “I’m trying to get him to just catch it, turn, pivot, hit the first read. But I’m really happy with his 11 rebounds.”
The Bruins extended their advantage, scoring 26 points in the first seven minutes of the second half en route to their highest-scoring outing of the season.
Andrews led the Bruins with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Tyler Bilodeau added 18 points, continuing his trend of being the Bruins’ most consistent source of half-court offense this season.
It was his hook shot that put the Bruins up by three with 1:42 remaining on Saturday against Arizona. And on Tuesday, he scored from all three levels. Keeping Bilodeau in rhythm will be crucial since this UCLA team can struggle when it is not creating turnovers or getting out in transition.
Sebastian Mack, who saw just three minutes on Tuesday because Cronin felt he wasn’t ready to play, has been a secondary option to Bilodeau. Andrews, who bounced back from a four-point dud against Arizona, has also flourished in the half court, at times, but has been inconsistent. Finding additional sources of half-court offense will be crucial as UCLA faces more talented teams that take better care of the ball.
“We just gotta take our time, try not to turn the ball over, execute the offense, be strong with the ball, make smart plays and look for the best shot possible,” forward Eric Dailey Jr. said.
Between a pair of one-possession wins against No. 10 Oregon and Arizona, and upcoming games against blue-bloods North Carolina and Gonzaga, Tuesday seemed the perfect scenario for a trap game. UCLA didn’t fall victim to that but seemed to leave any sense of urgency in Phoenix.
Despite spurts of laziness, Cronin did feel that Tuesday’s game against an up-tempo Panthers team will be helpful in terms of preparing the Bruins for Saturday’s Madison Square Garden showdown with the Tar Heels, who tend to pressure the ball and play with pace.
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