UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Celebrates Resilient Bruins' Win Vs Cal

UCLA basketball escaped Cal with a win on Saturday night, notching their fifth straight victory of the season. It was far from pretty for the Bruins, who came away with a nail-biter in the 61-60 win over the Bears. 

However, a gritty win was important for the Bruins, who continue to show they are far from the team that was trounced 66-57 by Cal on January 6.

Cal has been a tough opponent to many teams this season. Though their 10-14 record may not reflect that, the Bears have upset several teams this season, making this win that much more significant for the Bruins.

“Obviously Cal has become a very tough out for a lot of people," UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said. "They dominated Arizona State on the road, they beat Colorado here (at Haas Pavilion), they beat Washington State here."

Per Mick Cronin via UCLA Communications.

This win also showed how far this UCLA team has come. For a young team with a bunch of players now getting experience, they've developed quickly and now win the tough games they would have lost earlier in this season.

"I’m really happy with the win," Cronin said. "My message after the game is good teams win when the ball doesn’t go in, and that is who we were last year, that’s who we have been, it just took a while. When you have all new players, and you lose your five leading scorers, it just has taken us a while to gel as a team, but the guys have shown unbelievable resilience today. 5-for-17 from three, and 2-for-8 in the second half, and I think we made our last two.”

Per Mick Cronin via UCLA Communications.

Overall, this Bruins team is already much improved and looks like one that might make a splash come March.