The UCLA men’s basketball team secured a 71-64 win over Northwestern on Saturday in a Big Ten Conference matchup at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins improved their season record to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play.
Four UCLA players scored in double figures, with Tyler Bilodeau and Trent Perry each contributing 18 points. Bilodeau shot 7-for-11 from the field, including four three-pointers. Donovan Dent added 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Eric Dailey Jr. finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
“Obviously we struggled at the foul line, had some sloppy turnovers,” said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach. “Now I’m going to say two things. One, Chris [Collins] made a great adjustment. He just went small. We don’t have anybody that can throw it in the post. You know, Mike Warren is not out there throwing it. We really struggled to throw it to the man in the low post. Now, when he was getting pushed and fouled a few times, when we tried to, there was no call. We really struggle in that area. Now, my guess is Trent [Perry] and Donny [Dent] get tired.”
UCLA led by ten at halftime (41-31) and extended its lead to as much as 16 points during the second half before Northwestern narrowed the gap late in the game.
The Bruins shot nearly 50 percent from the field but converted only about half of their free throws (11-of-21). They also held Northwestern without a field goal for more than nine minutes during the second half.
Tyler Bilodeau has been leading UCLA’s scoring efforts this season with an average of over 18 points per game and has reached double digits in all but two games so far this year.
Trent Perry has stepped up since Skyy Clark’s hamstring injury earlier this month; over six games since Jan. 3 he has averaged more than 16 points per contest while shooting efficiently from both inside and beyond the arc as well as at the free throw line.
Donovan Dent averaged strong numbers across recent home wins for UCLA last week as well.
Jamar Brown contributed key three-point shooting against Northwestern and has maintained an accuracy rate above forty percent from long range this season.
UCLA will next face Oregon on Wednesday night at Matthew Knight Arena; tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., with television coverage provided by Big Ten Network.
