Tyler Bilodeau made a decisive 3-point shot with 8.2 seconds left, helping UCLA secure a 69-67 win over No. 4 Purdue in a Big Ten Conference matchup at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night.
With less than half a minute remaining and trailing by one point, Trent Perry inbounded the ball to Donovan Dent. After maneuvering around the top of the arc, Dent passed to Bilodeau, who hit the game-winning shot from the wing. Purdue called a timeout after falling behind but missed their final attempt as time expired.
UCLA overcame an early deficit, trailing 27-15 in the first half before tying the score at halftime with a strong run.
“They were making everything early,” said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach. “I told the guys, when it was 27-15, that we were getting good shots. We’ve been a little sensitive to that and especially with Skyy being out because he is our toughest fighter guy. I told them in the timeout that it is a long game. They made everything and we were missing open shots. We had one bad play and Trent had a turnover for a layup so I had to call timeout. They came back and then we came back and it was a great game.”
This marks UCLA’s first victory over a top-five ranked opponent since January 25, 2022, when they defeated Arizona inside Pauley Pavilion. It is also their first win as an unranked team against such an opponent since March 30, 2021.
Donovan Dent led all players with 23 points and 13 assists—his third point-assist double-double this season—and recorded his highest assist total of the year. His performance put him just one assist shy of his career high set in January last year.
Dent became UCLA’s first player with at least 13 assists in one game since Tyger Campbell achieved this mark during the 2019-20 season.
Bilodeau contributed 14 points; Eric Dailey Jr., added 12 points along with seven rebounds; Perry finished with 11 points including two three-pointers.
Late in the game, UCLA trailed by six before closing the gap through key plays from Dent and Dailey Jr., setting up Bilodeau’s deciding basket following a forced turnover on defense.
Throughout the contest, both teams exchanged leads during crucial moments: Bilodeau’s second three-pointer gave UCLA its largest lead at four points midway through the second half; Dent reached his tenth assist soon after on an alley-oop dunk by Dailey Jr.
The Bruins shot efficiently in the opening half (50 percent), helping them erase an early double-digit deficit through contributions from several players including Booker and Perry.
UCLA will next face Northwestern at home on Saturday, January 24 at Pauley Pavilion, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. Pacific Time on FS1 television. The Bruins are set to play four of their next five games at home—including upcoming matchups against Indiana (January 31), Rutgers (February 3), and Washington (February 7).
