The Bruins opened the weekend Friday on the wrong side of a 7-3 halftime score against the Tigers.

Then Sunday, they didn’t retake the lead they relinquished in the first period until there were less than three minutes left in the game.

No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo (15-1) took down No. 4 Pacific (15-3) at Spieker Aquatics Center 12-11 before coming back in the fourth quarter and defeating No. 12 Pepperdine (10-9) at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool by a final score of 10-8.

Coach Adam Wright said the team’s defense was integral in this weekend’s tournament and is the key to its success in the long run.

“We’re going to have days where we’re off offensively,” Wright said. “But, if our defense is lights out, then we’re still going to have a chance to be successful.”

The Waves outpaced the Bruins in the first half, logging five points to UCLA’s three. But behind a hat trick from redshirt sophomore attacker Gianpiero Di Martire, the blue and gold was able to come back from behind and stave off its second loss of the season.

Di Martire said the team has the mindset to play at an elite level, even when the stakes are high and the team is losing late in the game.

“Confidence is earned,” Di Martire said. “Every single day of the week, … we prepare for the games and earn the confidence to be able to win in the end.”

The Bruins faced another first-half deficit against the Tigers, finding themselves four points shy when the halftime buzzer rang. UCLA used a 5-1 run in the third quarter to ultimately beat Pacific.

Over the course of the weekend, the blue and gold’s defensive backbone was senior goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi, who registered 24 saves and six steals over the two games.

Wright said the team relied on Maurizi’s relentlessness in the cage this weekend.

“If Bernardo’s not here and playing the way he’s playing, things could be different,” Wright said. “He’s holding things up for us, but at some point, we can’t keep expecting that out of him.”

Maurizi’s three steals against Pepperdine accounted for half of the Bruins’ total steals in the game. Pepperdine goalkeeper Zach Cwiertnia racked up seven saves compared to Maurizi’s 13 within the same time frame.

Senior attacker Tommy Gruwell said the responsibility fell on the goalkeeper because the rest of the team struggled to defend its side and block the ball.

“We weren’t getting a lot of field blocks,” Gruwell said. “(Pepperdine was) shooting well … and our goalies were blocking, but our field players just weren’t doing a good job of blocking the ball.”

Over the course of the weekend, UCLA was not able to score more than three points in the first half of either game. Despite the first-half faults, Wright said the Bruins’ perseverance in the second frame is promising.

“On the defensive side, we’re giving up so many goals in the first half, it’s really disappointing and concerning,” Wright said. “On the flip side, the true sign of a good team is that even when you’re out of it … you still can find a way to be successful.”