Double OT Heartbreaker: UCLA Falls to Indiana in a Gritty, Flawed Thriller
LOS ANGELES - Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion was supposed to be a celebration. New UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney made his first public appearance, the crowd was electric, and the Bruins were set to cap off the evening with a statement win on the hardwood. Instead, UCLA fans were left stunned after a double-overtime heartbreaker, as the Bruins fell to Indiana, 98-97, in a game that had just about everything - except the ending UCLA wanted.
Let’s be clear: this one was a battle. UCLA and Indiana, both sitting at 15-7 coming in, went toe-to-toe for 50 minutes in a game that swung wildly between droughts and surges. But when the dust settled, it was the Hoosiers who walked out with the win, thanks to a late foul and a cold-blooded free throw with under a second to play.
Cronin Pulls No Punches: “We Deserved to Lose”
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin didn’t sugarcoat things postgame. Despite the fight his team showed to claw back from multiple double-digit deficits, he was focused on one thing: the defense - or lack thereof.
“Defense was awful all night. We deserved to lose,” Cronin said bluntly.
“We went through a stretch where we were pouting and letting one shot affect the next shot. We couldn’t score for a long time, that’s why we got down by 10.
Missing wide open shot after wide open shot.”
That stretch he’s talking about? It was brutal.
UCLA went ice-cold midway through the second half, missing 11 straight shots and going nearly seven minutes without a single point. Meanwhile, Indiana found its rhythm and ripped off a 12-0 run, flipping the game on its head and putting the Bruins on the ropes.
Trent Perry’s Heroics Keep Hope Alive
But just when it looked like the game was slipping away, sophomore guard Trent Perry delivered a moment that brought Pauley Pavilion back to life. Down three with just one second left in regulation - and double-teamed at the top of the arc - Perry rose up and drilled a game-tying three to send the contest into overtime.
“At the end of the day, I’m just proud of how we fought,” Perry said. “Sent a good team into double overtime. We’re going to carry on with this lesson and move on to the next one.”
That shot was the highlight of a wild final minute-and-a-half, where UCLA stormed back from a nine-point deficit in just 75 seconds. It was the kind of last-ditch surge that teams can build on - if they find a way to finish.
Overtime: Defense Shows Up, But Offense Doesn’t Follow
In the first overtime, UCLA finally found the defensive intensity Cronin had been begging for all night. But the offense couldn’t match it.
Both teams traded stops, and the score stayed knotted at 84 for what felt like an eternity. Perry had another chance to play hero in the final seconds, but his shot didn’t fall this time.
Then came the second overtime - and with it, foul trouble. That’s where things really unraveled for the Bruins.
Indiana scored 10 of its 14 points in the second OT at the free-throw line. That’s not just a stat - that’s the story.
UCLA couldn’t stay out of foul trouble, and the Hoosiers made them pay for it. Every whistle felt like another nail in the coffin.
The Final Sequence: A Gut-Punch Ending
With the game tied at 97 and less than a second remaining, Indiana freshman forward Trent Sisley missed a layup, setting off a chaotic scramble for the rebound. The ball was briefly secured by Indiana, then knocked out of bounds.
Cronin immediately challenged the call when officials awarded the ball to Indiana, insisting it had gone off a Hoosier last. Replay didn’t overturn it.
Out of the timeout, Indiana inbounded the ball, and Sisley cut to the rim. UCLA senior guard Donovan Dent went up to contest the shot - and got whistled for a foul. Sisley stepped to the line and calmly sank the game-winner with less than a second left.
Cronin, clearly frustrated, said the team had drilled that exact scenario multiple times in practice. Execution just didn’t follow preparation.
A Loss, But Not Without Lessons
Despite the outcome, there were silver linings. The Bruins showed grit.
They didn’t fold when things got ugly. They didn’t quit when they were down nine with 75 seconds to go.
They fought - and that matters.
“We rallied back down late... that builds a confidence as a team,” Dent said. “We know we can fight back. It just gives you confidence going into the next one.”
Still, moral victories only go so far in a conference as unforgiving as the Big Ten. The Bruins are now 7-4 in league play, and every game from here on out carries weight.
If there’s a message to take from this one, it’s that UCLA has the heart - but they’ll need more than that to make a serious run. The defense has to tighten up.
The shooting has to stabilize. And the lapses - especially the kind that turn into 12-0 runs - have to stop.
Saturday night was a rollercoaster. It was dramatic, emotional, and at times, chaotic.
But in the end, it was also a reminder: in the Big Ten, every possession matters. And if you leave the door open, even for a second, someone like Trent Sisley might just walk through it.