UCLA’s final exhibition against San Diego offered the Bruins a clean look at three players who made a real case for bigger roles once the games count.
The Bruins handled San Diego 82-50 at home, leaning on a strong second half to close out the night and move on to the real thing. The box score had a little bit of everything, but Trent Perry, Devin Jovic and freshman Joe Philon stood out most.
Perry was a different story from UCLA’s first exhibition against Cal Baptist, when foul trouble kept him from showing much. This time, he looked comfortable from the jump and delivered a balanced night as both a scorer and playmaker.
He finished with 17 points and 7 assists, and on this night he looked like the best player on the floor for UCLA. The questions about whether he could help lead this team were met with a clear answer in this performance: he looked confident, composed and fully in control.
The preseason buzz around Perry feels justified after this one.
Jovic gave the Bruins a lift in the frontcourt and did a lot of his damage by being relentless around the rim. He drew contact all night, got to the line 12 times and made 10 of those free throws.
That aggression helped fuel a 16-point night, second on the team behind Perry. He also added 6 rebounds, with 5 coming on the offensive glass, and that second-chance work kept UCLA on the front foot.
Philon kept his strong exhibition run going. After another active outing, the freshman made his case with production that touched nearly every part of the game.
He led UCLA with 8 rebounds, brought steady defensive activity, and used his length to collect 2 blocks and 3 steals. Philon also scored 11 points, giving the Bruins value on both ends and making it tougher to keep him off the floor for long stretches.
Two exhibitions in, UCLA has already seen proof that Perry, Jovic and Philon can all shape games in different ways.
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