LEXINGTON, Ky. — Given all the similarities in defense and toughness, the prevailing narrative about UCLA facing Tennessee was that it would be like looking in the mirror.

Except the Bruins kept stumbling into the thing, shattering any chance they had of beating a team possessing far more ammunition in what was supposed to be a rock fight of a basketball game.

Sloppy stretches to close the first half and open the second doomed UCLA in its upset bid Saturday night at Rupp Arena, the seventh-seeded Bruins falling, 67-58, to second-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“Our offense got us beat tonight,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said after his earliest postseason exit with the Bruins. “Lack of execution and the end-of-the-first-half stuff.”

Point guard Dylan Andrews was an especially egregious culprit, throwing a bounce pass out of bounds along the baseline and losing his dribble and then the ball after it got wedged between his feet for a pair of unforced errors.

Those were just two of Andrews’ five turnovers, leading to his extended benching early in the second half during a forgettable performance in which he went scoreless, missing both of his shots and logging two assists.

Given the importance of Andrews’ position and his nearly seasonlong struggles, it’s fair to wonder if the Bruins will go looking for another point guard in the transfer portal that opens Monday. They almost certainly will add a veteran wing player and also could use another 7-footer to match up against some of the Big Ten’s massive lineups.

Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, right, looks to pass the ball in front of UCLA guard Dylan Andrews during the first half Saturday.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Cronin said his team did as well as could be expected given that forward Eric Dailey Jr. broke his nose and center William Kyle III underwent minor heart surgery in a pair of midseason setbacks.

“Look, we restored us back to where we need to be in the NCAA tournament,” Cronin said, referring to the Bruins finishing last season with a losing record. “We had the 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament out of 18 teams. After having almost no NIL and having to go to Europe to try to find cheap players, in a debacle, and fighting through it last year and finishing fifth [in the Pac-12]. If we didn’t have to do that — it put us a year behind, OK? So I thought this group of guys did as good as they could do.”

After a locked-in start over the first 15 minutes, UCLA (23-11) faltered badly as a result of a turnover spree. Tennessee (29-7) used a 22-6 push starting with the final eight points of the first half to pull away.

“We had a couple of really, really sloppy turnovers, soft plays that, you know — it is what it is,” Cronin said. “You’re not going to win, you score 58 points.”

UCLA coach Mick Cronin reacts during the Bruins’ loss to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday.

(James Crisp / Associated Press)

Two days after the Bruins shut down Utah State’s leading scorer in a runaway victory, they did not enjoy the same success against Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier. Scoring in a variety of ways, the gritty guard scored 20 points largely on the strength of making four of five three-pointers. Zakai Zeigler added 15 points and Jordan Gainey 13 for the Volunteers, who will face Kentucky or Illinois in a regional semifinal on Friday in Indianapolis.

UCLA could not find enough counters. Foul-plagued guard Skyy Clark scored 18 points and forward Tyler Bilodeau added 15 as the only Bruins to reach double figures. Center Aday Mara wore down after a strong start, finishing with seven points, five rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes.

Despite the wide gap in seeding, UCLA had beaten plenty of opponents roughly of Tennessee’s caliber. Victories over Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Oregon (twice) and Gonzaga showed the Bruins’ potential to win this game.

But their spotty guard play had made them a high-variance team capable of long offensive lulls and often put them at a disadvantage against elite counterparts. That was certainly the case again Saturday.

Continuing a seasonlong trend, UCLA did not do a good job of getting its big men the ball even when Tennessee had switched a considerably smaller defender onto them.

“There was even one time we shot a pull-up jumper in the first half,” Cronin said. “We were winning and Aday Mara has a guard on him and we decide to iso” against center Felix Okpara.

One of the big questions facing the Bruins before tipoff: Could they match the Volunteers’ intensity?

They did to start the game, Kobe Johnson reaching in to force a jump ball before the first point had been scored. UCLA was sharp defensively but found itself in early foul trouble. Dailey (two points on one-for-five shooting) picked up two fouls in a little more than two minutes and Clark soon joined him on the bench.

UCLA guard Kobe Johnson, front, and Tennessee forward Igor Milicic Jr. chase after the ball in the first half Saturday.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

“I was definitely smacking myself on the head on the bench,” Clark said. “I can’t put myself in that position. I know I gotta be out there to help the team. So just be smarter next time.”

Dailey’s absence allowed additional minutes for Mara, who was superb for much of the first half. Mara blocked two shots, collected two assists and made a turnaround baseline jumper to give the Bruins a 25-24 lead.

Everything else the rest of the first half went the Volunteers’ way as Tennessee increased its pressure and the Bruins badly faltered over the final few minutes. Guard Trent Perry played too far off Gainey, leading to an open corner three-pointer. Andrews committed an offensive foul. Johnson threw a lazy pass that was stolen, leading to a Lanier layup in which he was fouled.

“They came with the press,” Mara said, “and we weren’t ready.”

Practically before the Bruins could say letdown, Tennessee had rolled off eight consecutive points to surge into a 32-25 halftime lead. Volunteer fans who had been quiet for much of the first half were on their feet and roaring.

Tennessee had lost only one home game all season, and this might as well have qualified considering the amount of orange in the stands and the rise in decibels every time the Volunteers did something remotely encouraging.

Cronin had joked that he was going to recruit local Kentucky fans to come and root against their fellow Southeastern Conference team.

“Last time I checked,” Cronin said, “Tennessee is their rival.”

After proving itself to be a worthy foil for almost a half, UCLA could not keep up. Not even close.