Cronin takes blame for Cal defeat

Golden Bears outplay the nationally ranked Bruins. Coach says it's time to 'toughen up.'

- STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

GUARD Eric Dailey Jr. (3) led the Bruins with 17 points in their road loss Tuesday.

(JAN KIM LIM UCLA Athletics)

It was the sort of showing that left Mick Cronin with plenty to criticize, and he didn't hold back.

In a somewhat subdued monologue after a loss that will probably knock his team out of the national rankings, the UCLA basketball coach lamented his team's attitude, lack of toughness, inability to make free throws and shortage of savvy despite being filled with veterans.

His harshest verbal jab? Cronin saved that for himself.

"Look, I'm not happy with our performance," Cronin said after the No. 18 Bruins' 80-72 setback against California on Tuesday night at Chase Center, "but I'll take the blame. You guys can read the stat sheet, you saw the game, you make your own assessments, [but] when it comes to the game, how we play is my responsibility."

Nearly a month into the season, it might be time to worry about these Bruins.

Some uneven play over the first few weeks could be shrugged off as a team filled with new players finding its footing.

But there was no reasonable explanation for what happened against a former Pac-12 rival in a matchup that should have stirred some intensity before a lively crowd. Instead, UCLA looked like it had little interest in being here.

"Their attitude was better," Cronin said of the Golden Bears, who notched their first victory over a nationally ranked team in coach Mark Madsen's two-plus seasons. "They came to get a big win, our guys thought it was going to be a walk in the park - that's just my opinion."

Things bottomed out for UCLA (5-2) with about two minutes to go when point guard Donovan Dent went down with an apparent lower leg injury and limped off the court.