Oh, Mercy!

The disappointment and anger that hung in the air when they came back in the locker room Thursday night gave way by the time the arena had just about cleared out and the UCLA Bruins were again left to themselves.

The clock on the back wall showed 1 a.m. as Sean Farnham, his eyes welling up, choked out the words:

“I just feel like we let the school and the coaches down. Let all of Los Angeles down. And we let ourselves down, most importantly.”

The Bruins, having roller-coastered through a season filled with expectations, lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, a No. 5-seeded team upset by No. 12 Detroit Mercy, 56-53, in a setting that offered yet another cruel blow.

Three years after being dumped in similar fashion by Princeton in the same stage of the postseason and in the same RCA Dome, they lost here again before 27,959 to an opponent that executed better down the stretch. Whoever flashed the clip of Pete Carril, the victorious Tiger coach in 1996, walking off the court that night during a timeout with 1:53 left in this one either had no compassion or keen insight.

Toby Bailey played in that game. Ryan was in this one, afterward slumped on the floor of his locker stall, ignoring the chair and leaning against a wall.

“My brother told me how bad it hurt to lose in the first round,” Ryan said, “but you never know until you experienced it. It’s one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had in my life. It’s terrible. Just a daze.”

Said Farnham, especially hurt because this defeat marked the last game of senior guard Brandon Loyd, a favorite Bruin: “It’s one of those things you can’t explain unless you went through it. I don’t even know if I can explain it. It feels awful.”

Baron Davis fouled out with 1:19 remaining in what might have been his last UCLA game and the Bruins again struggled to execute down the stretch against a zone defense, having wasted a 48-42 lead with six minutes left. They were outscored, 12-5, the rest of the way and went two of 10 from the field.

Detroit made up the deficit and went ahead when Rashad Phillips, at the line on Davis’ last foul, made both free throws for a 51-50 lead. The Titans got a critical basket when Daniel Whye hit a leaning 15-footer with 12.5 seconds left, then the clinching points when Desmond Ferguson converted two free throws with 4.3 seconds left.

That was worth a 55-50 advantage. UCLA added a three-pointer from JaRon Rush, who also had 13 rebounds, but could get no closer.

Davis started despite his toe injury and Ray Young played despite his hip injury, as promised. And all the Bruins had little, if any, success generating transition baskets, as expected.

They fell behind, 20-14, but not because of that, an encouraging sign even with the deficit since the ability to execute a halfcourt offense had been the most pressing UCLA concern beyond health. That had been a problem for the Bruins and a strength of the Detroit defense, but the Titans built that early cushion because four of their first seven baskets were three-pointers.

When those didn’t fall, though, Detroit did, losing the momentum and the lead. The Bruins moved ahead, 24-20, as the Titans went scoreless for 6:14 and without a field goal for 7:02.

That held up for a 32-30 lead at halftime, by which time Davis, showing no ill effects from the week-old sprained middle toe on the right foot, already had nine points, four assists and two steals. He played 19 of the first 20 minutes, as did the other starting guard, Earl Watson.

The stability came as UCLA switched back to the lineup from the Arizona State game, with Farnham, Rush and Jerome Moiso in the frontcourt--two freshmen in their first tournament and a walk-on with six minutes of postseason experience. The sophomore guards have been the one constant in the rotation.

“The stabilizing force, the two pillars of consistency,” Coach Steve Lavin called them.

The newcomers weren’t struggling, though. Rush missed three of his first four shots, but also had six rebounds in the first half alone. The Bruins, showing patience in the halfcourt sets, did not force passes or shots, or at least any more than usual. Moiso went down to the post, instead of floating on the perimeter as usual, and provided at least an inside threat for undersized Detroit to consider.

Indeed, it was Detroit, which returned four key members of the 1998 team that went to the second round of the Midwest Regional in Chicago, that had the most trouble establishing a consistent offense. The team that averaged 64.3 points while going 24-5 during the regular season and Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament went dry again just after intermission.

The Titans didn’t get a field goal until the second half was 5:46 old, managing only one free throw in that time. And that was followed by another 4:47 without a basket.

But this also came during a stretch when UCLA committed six turnovers in eight possessions. So when Jermaine Jackson made a jumper from the right side, Detroit had recovered, or survived, from the offensive struggles, gaining a 40-40 tie with 9:27 left.

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BY THE NUMBERS

35: NCAA Tournament appearances for UCLA

10: Tournament appearances for UCLA in the ‘90s

4: First-round exits for UCLA in the ‘90s

2: Detroit Mercy’s rank in the nation in scoring defense

53: Points for UCLA, its season-low

FIRST-ROUND KOs

UCLA first-round losses in ‘90s:

1999: Seeded No. 5 in South, to Detroit Mercy, 56-53

1996: Seeded No. 4 in Southwest, to Princeton, 43-41

1994: Seeded No. 5 in Midwest, to Tulsa, 112-102

1991: Seeded No. 4 in East to Penn State, 74-69

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COVERAGE

GAME REPORT: W5

OTHER GAMES FROM INDIANAPOLIS: W5

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Go to The Times’ Web for live coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, including live scores, game stories, updated brackets, and a chance to enter the “Sweet 16 Game”: https://www.latimes.com/ncaa