Then the Bruins returned to the West Coast, and things started to click. They haven’t left the Pacific Time Zone in three weeks, and the offense has pieced it together. In the five ensuing games, it averaged 80.8 points per game and made more than half of its shots in four of those victories.
“We knew we had to do something after those losses, and I think we did a great job of coming together and focusing on day-by-day, focusing on the next day, and just trying to stick through it,” said forward Tyler Bilodeau. “We knew we were going to get over the hump and we just have to keep doing that.”
There’s been a catalyst during the run, and it’s happened by accident. In the Jan. 21 win over Wisconsin, 7-foot-3-inch Spain native Aday Mara entered the game after not getting any playing time the game before and completely dominated the Badgers. Offensively and defensively, Wisconsin had no answers for Mara’s dominance near the bucket as he posted a career-high 22 points.
