Westwood, CA –The UCLA Bruins overcame a slow first half start and exploded for 46 points in the second half in their 83-62 win over West Georgia on Monday night.
Making his first career start, Trent Perry filled in admirably for an injured Donovan Dent, who is expected to return for the Bruins’ upcoming showdown vs. No. 5 Arizona on Nov. 14.
“It felt good,” Perry said. “At the end of the day, my dad always told me just create an impact when you’re coming off the bench or starting. I had no other mindset, my mindset didn’t change.”
Perry had career-highs in points, assists, and minutes as he played an extended role in lieu of Dent’s absence. In 37 minutes, the sophomore guard had 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds.
“I’m concerned with his defense and taking care of the ball. As he gets minutes, he’ll shoot it better…He took care of the ball with nine assists to two turnovers. He’s worked hard, he’s got stronger, he’s done a great job,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said.
UCLA’s backcourt didn’t have to do much with Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. handling a bulk of the scoring. Bilodeau scored an early season-high of 21 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. Dailey contributed with 14 points and three rebounds.
West Georgia came out firing in the first half and stunned the Bruins’ defense. They shot the ball at a 69.2 percent clip from behind the arc.
“They hit some hard ones and we had some breakdowns. Obviously, they hit some hard ones that they haven’t shot all year. They didn’t shoot them last year,” Cronin said.
However, the Bruins’ perimeter defense settled down in the second half and held the Wolves to just a 33 percent clip.
In the first half, Dent’s absence was notable. UCLA shot the ball 25 percent from three and the offense wasn’t flowing early. But Skyy Clark and Perry eventually got the offense going, which led to the second-half outburst of 46 points to put West Georgia away.
The Bruins will have to quickly turn their attention to a top-15 battle against Arizona at the Intuit Dome on Friday. Arizona has already beaten a top-25 program in Florida this season. Although UCLA opened with three mid-major opponents, the Bruins have treated them as if they were top-25 teams as well.
“It’s always important no matter who we’re playing. Every day, we got to get better, whether it’s in practice or a game. We gotta look at it like it’s the last game of the year like we are playing in the tournament. Everything matters and that’s what coach has been emphasizing to us quite a bit, and what we are trying to do,” Bilodeau said.
