Without star point guard Donovan Dent, UCLA’s Trent Perry and Tyler Bilodeau stepped up to help UCLA secure its first dominant victory over West Georgia.
No. 12 UCLA (2-0) took on unranked West Georgia (1-1) on Monday, Nov. 10 at Pauley Pavilion. Coming off two close wins against Pepperdine (74-63) and Eastern Washington (80-74), UCLA needed to set the tone for the season and establish itself as a team to fear.
Without Dent, UCLA will need another one of its stars to show up. That happened to be UCLA’s senior forward Bilodeau, who started hot, exerting his presence on the offensive end, getting to his spots and drawing fouls. Bilodeau was getting whatever he wanted, making fadeaway hookshots over two defenders, attacking the rim and drawing fouls and also moving off the ball with the help of junior center Xavier Booker’s screens to knock down open threes or to cut to the basket for a layup. Bilodeau finished the half with 14 points and one assist.
Eric Dailey Jr. was the second leading scorer for the first half with 11 points and one assist. Dailey Jr. helped UCLA set the tone physically, using his shoulder to create separation on mid-range shots as well as knocking down defenders on his way to the rim. Bilodeau emphasized the importance of setting the tone physically, “I think it’s always important, we want to be a physical team for sure,” Bilodeau said.
Defensively, senior guard Skyy Clark was extremely impressive with his ability to fight over screens and create effective double teams while remaining mobile enough to get back to his defender for the closeout and making it a difficult shot. His most impressive play came early in the half with 15:30 remaining, where he sprinted back after a West Georgia defensive rebound with their player sprinting with the ball down the court for a sure wide open layup. Fortunately for UCLA, Clark hustled back to stop the transition and created a steal leading to a UCLA basket.
Additionally, Booker protected the rim with two blocks and defensive rebounds to minimize second-chance points for West Georgia. However, UCLA had a difficult job dealing with West Georgia’s shooting. West Georgia shot an impressive 69% from three and sophomore guard Brady Hardewig knocked down four threes. UCLA won the first half 37-32 with an unfortunate run by West Georgia coming off two UCLA turnovers to end the first half.
The Bruins’ offense exploded in the second half with Perry starting hot, making a three, driving to the basket for a foul and two made free throws, amassing five points in the first five minutes of the second half. Perry finished with 17 points scoring 11 in the second half, almost doubling his first-half performance. This has been Perry’s season high, filling in for the injured Dent and getting his first start of the season.
Tyler Bilodeau continued his impressive performance, tallying seven more points to finish with a team high of 21 points. The Bruins scored 46 points in the second half, setting a pace that West Georgia could not compete with.
The Bruins dominated the glass with 36 rebounds to West Georgia’s 22, seeming to clean up their rebounding issue from the previous games. However, the West Georgia center, Kenneth Chime, impressed with five blocks, potentially highlighting a problem for UCLA when facing star rim protectors.
Defensively, the Bruins shut down West Georgia’s offense, holding them to 30 points in the second half, while UCLA’s explosive offense scored 46 points. Clark continued to show his defensive prowess, taking a charge with 7:46 left in the second half. Clark also had an impressive three steals to encapsulate his defensive performance.
Additionally, West Georgia’s shooting finally cooled off, dropping from an immaculate 69% to a more realistic 33% in the second half. UCLA’s defense continued to confuse West Georgia, forcing them into many turnovers —17, to be exact —almost double their first-half total of nine. UCLA maximized these extra opportunities, scoring 23 points off these extra opportunities, leading to their impressive blowout victory, 83 to 62 over West Georgia.
UCLA now looks to take on No. 5 Arizona on Friday at the Intuit Dome. This will be UCLA’s first test against a ranked opponent and an opportunity to showcase exactly how good this Bruins team is on a national scale. As for Dent, look to see him return against Arizona, “I would say likely,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said when asked about Dent’s return. This game, taking place on Peacock, will have many eyes on it, especially with taking on Bryce James, son of Lakers superstar Lebron James, who will likely be in attendance.
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Featured Image Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
