Trent Perry Erupts for Career Night as UCLA Pulls Away from Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK - In a game where UCLA needed someone to take the reins, freshman guard Trent Perry didn’t just step up-he stole the show.
Perry poured in a career-high 30 points to lead the Bruins past Penn State, 71-60, on Wednesday night. He was clinical, confident, and completely in control, knocking down four triples, going 7-of-13 from the field, and hitting all 12 of his free throws. That’s not just a breakout game-it’s a statement.
And he wasn’t alone. Tyler Bilodeau brought the heat as well, adding 21 points on an identical 7-of-13 shooting clip, including four threes of his own. The junior forward also pulled down nine rebounds, matching his season high, and gave UCLA a steady interior presence all night long.
This win moves UCLA to 12-5 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten play, and it came with some grit. The Bruins closed the first half on a 12-2 run to take a 29-23 lead into the break, but Penn State wasn’t going away quietly. The Nittany Lions came out swinging in the second half, using a 10-0 run to take a brief 49-47 lead with under 12 minutes to play.
That’s when the Bruins slammed the door.
UCLA responded with a decisive 20-6 run, turning a two-point deficit into a 13-point cushion with just over three minutes left. From there, it was cruise control. The Bruins closed the game with poise, fueled by a second-half shooting clinic-50% from the field, seven made threes, and a perfect 21-of-21 from the free-throw line for the game.
Perry scored 22 of his 30 points after halftime, while Bilodeau added 14 in the second frame. The two combined to shoot 8-of-15 from deep and were the clear engines behind UCLA’s offensive rhythm.
On the other side, Penn State (9-8, 0-6 Big Ten) was already shorthanded without Kayden Mingo and Tibor Mirtic, and things got worse late in the first half when leading scorer Freddie Dilione V left the game with an apparent right ankle injury. He didn’t return, and his absence loomed large.
Dominick Stewart led the Nittany Lions with 16 points, while Eli Rice added 14 and Josh Reed chipped in 12. But Penn State struggled to find consistency, especially from beyond the arc, where they hit just 4-of-22 as a team. They’ve now dropped eight of their last nine games and are still searching for their first conference win.
UCLA, meanwhile, showed signs of a team rounding into form. The Bruins were locked in defensively, won the rebounding battle 31-21, and got contributions across the board-whether it was Dylan Jamerson going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field or K.J. Freeny knocking down a pair of threes off the bench.
It was also a bit of history for the Bruins, marking their first-ever trip to Penn State. The two programs don’t meet often, but UCLA now holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, having also beaten the Nittany Lions in Pauley Pavilion last season. Penn State’s lone win came back in the 1991 NCAA Tournament.
Up Next: UCLA heads to Columbus for a Saturday showdown with Ohio State, while Penn State travels to Maryland on Sunday, still looking to turn their season around.
This was a night that belonged to Trent Perry-a freshman who played like a veteran, delivered when it mattered most, and gave the Bruins a glimpse of just how high their ceiling can be when their young star catches fire.