A barrage of makes from beyond the arc helped the Silverswords pull within 10 points of the Bruins midway through the second half.

But their closest margin since the sixth minute of the contest wouldn’t stand on Sebastian Mack’s watch.

The freshman guard elevated for a 3-pointer of his own, found the lane for a layup and drove to the basket to lay another one in.

“Once I turned it up on the defensive end, we were able to get that run,” Mack said.

Mack’s seven-point surge in under two minutes staved off a comeback campaign to help UCLA men’s basketball (4-1) defeat Chaminade (1-4) 76-48 in the second round of the Maui Jim Invitational on Tuesday afternoon. The Bruins overcame a season-worst 18 turnovers but out-rebounded the Silverswords 55-24 en route to victory. 

“We came out with the right approach, and we looked literally unbeatable,” said coach Mick Cronin. “Then, our approach changed, and we started playing for ourselves instead of our teammates.”

Sophomore guard Dylan Andrews commanded the floor early, earning three assists in the first five minutes as the Bruins settled into a rhythm. In the first 10 minutes, UCLA notched nine assists on 12 made baskets through its effective motion offense, jumping out to 71% from the field.

In his second game since gaining NCAA clearance, forward Berke Buyuktuncel made an immediate impact across the stat sheet. A sequence of plays from the freshman included two makes from the charity stripe, a block at the other end, an assist to redshirt fifth-year forward/center Kenneth Nwuba and a dunk to extend the Bruin lead to 21-4. 

Point contributions via seven Bruins helped UCLA jump out to a 28-4 lead with 9:32 to play in the half until Chaminade converted a 3-pointer on its 12th attempt beyond the arc. 

After posting a mere 7% start from the field, the Silverswords knocked down two more from deep to cut the lead to 28-13 with eight minutes to play. UCLA’s momentum stalled amid eight turnovers in a seven-minute stretch to allow Chaminade to capitalize in transition and ignite a 14-2 run.

“Our opponent stepped up their intensity and their help on the paint, and we were soft,” Cronin said. “Our post guys got stripped seven or eight times. … Excuses are for losers.”

The Bruins went scoreless for nearly four more minutes until freshman center Aday Mara found a look inside. Mara earned the starting nod after deferring it to Buyuktuncel Monday night and finished with a career-high 10 rebounds.

After averaging 10.5 turnovers per game this season, UCLA committed 14 in the first half alone but entered the locker room leading 36-21 with the help of a .517 percentage from the field.

Junior guard Lazar Stefanovic befriended the corner early in the second half, cracking into double-digit scoring for the third time this season following a corner 3-pointer and a baseline jumper. Chaminade answered with back-to-back makes beyond the arc to bring the score to 45-32 with 15 minutes remaining. 

The parade from the perimeter continued for Chaminade with its eighth make from deep, but Mack responded with a 3-point contribution to his eventual 16-point total. With 13 minutes to play, the Bruins were up 52-37. 

As the Silverswords chipped away at the lead, an ensuing 14-0 answer helped the Bruins secure a 23-point advantage, punctuated with a corner 3-pointer from redshirt sophomore guard Will McClendon.

UCLA closed out the contest on a 18-4 tear, highlighted by a Buyuktuncel block leading to a breakaway bucket for Andrews. 

“I take it as an insult that other people are surprised that my team is going to play hard and play defense,” Cronin said. “To me, it’s insulting that people were surprised by the way we played last night (against Marquette).”

Tuesday’s result produces yet another rendition of the rivalry between UCLA and Gonzaga as the Bruins will battle the No. 11 Bulldogs for fifth place in the final round of the invitational Wednesday night. 

“It would shock me if it wasn’t the same competitive game,” Cronin said. “I would be disappointed if we didn’t compete – I’d be shocked if they didn’t.”