Monday, November 3
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:30 PM (PT)
UCLA
1-0,0-0Big Ten
80
vs
74
Eastern Washington
0-1,0-0Big Sky
1
2
F
Eastern Wash.
33
41
74
UCLA
40
40
80
Donovan Dent
Photo by: Scott Chandler
No. 12 UCLA Defeats Eastern Washington, 80-74
November 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES -ย The No. 12-ranked UCLA men's basketball team defeated Eastern Washington, 80-74, in the season opener at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Mondayย evening.
ย
The Bruins (1-0) are now winners of six of their last seven season-opening contests under head coach Mick Cronin.ย
ย
Four UCLA players scored in double figures, led by Donovan Dent's dazzling debut, scoring 21 points and nine assists in his first outing in the Blue and Gold.
ย
Tyler Bilodeau used a strong second half to finish with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting while Xavier Booker tallied 14 points and Skyy Clark contributed 10.
ย
As a team, the Bruins shot 47.1 percent (33-for-70), made 8 of 26 attempts from three-point range. UCLA out-rebounded its opponent 35-30, with Booker leading the way with seven boards on the night, also standing out in his debut for the Bruins.
ย
For Eastern Washington (0-1), Isaiah Moses paced the offense with 15 points while Alton Hamilton IV (13 points) and Straton Rogers (12 points) also reached double-digits. Johnny Radford led the Eages on the boards with eight rebounds in addition to his eight points.
ย
UCLA opened the second half with a decisive 14-6 run, when Dent found Booker underneath the basket for a slam, then Bilodeau followed with a triple to quickly stretch a seven-point halftime lead to 15 by the under-16 media timeout.
ย
Booker found his rhythm, pouring in 10 quick points to reach double figures. But Eastern Washington responded with a 4-for-5 shooting stretch, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers, to cut the deficit back to single digits.
ย
Dent halted the Eagles' momentum with his first three-pointer of the night, then set up Bilodeau for another from deep, forcing an Eastern Washington timeout at the 10:18 mark in a stretch that gave UCLA a much-needed cushion.
ย
Bilodeau stayed hot, scoring 14 of his 19 points after the break, including two second-half threes to anchor the Bruins' offense. The Eagles made one final push, trimming the lead to six in the final minute, but Dent's late bucket sealed the 80-74 win and kept UCLA in control down the stretch.
ย
In the first half, Clark knocked down a pair of early threes and Dent followed with back-to-back buckets to spark UCLA's strong start. Eastern Washington responded, keeping the margin tight at 17-15 by the under-12 media timeout. Clark accounted for eight of the Bruins' first 14 points.
ย
Dent briefly reclaimed the lead for UCLA with a three-point play, but a 1-for-9 shooting stretch allowed the Eagles to pull ahead with 11:08 left in the half. Dent then took control, scoring nine of UCLA's next 11 points to push the Bruins back in front, 25-22, with 6:12 remaining. During that stretch, the UCLA defense clamped down, holding Eastern Washington without a field goal for nearly three minutes.
ย
Bilodeau buried a three for his first points of the night, sparking a personal 5-0 run capped by a mid-range jumper in the lane to extend the lead to seven. Booker then tipped in a miss at the buzzer to send UCLA into the locker room up 40-33.
ย
Dent paced UCLA with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and handed out six assists in the opening half.
ย
The Bruins remain at home for their next contest, hosting local foe Pepperdine on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) inside Pauley Pavilion. The game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.
ย
ย
The Bruins (1-0) are now winners of six of their last seven season-opening contests under head coach Mick Cronin.ย
ย
Four UCLA players scored in double figures, led by Donovan Dent's dazzling debut, scoring 21 points and nine assists in his first outing in the Blue and Gold.
ย
Tyler Bilodeau used a strong second half to finish with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting while Xavier Booker tallied 14 points and Skyy Clark contributed 10.
ย
As a team, the Bruins shot 47.1 percent (33-for-70), made 8 of 26 attempts from three-point range. UCLA out-rebounded its opponent 35-30, with Booker leading the way with seven boards on the night, also standing out in his debut for the Bruins.
ย
For Eastern Washington (0-1), Isaiah Moses paced the offense with 15 points while Alton Hamilton IV (13 points) and Straton Rogers (12 points) also reached double-digits. Johnny Radford led the Eages on the boards with eight rebounds in addition to his eight points.
ย
UCLA opened the second half with a decisive 14-6 run, when Dent found Booker underneath the basket for a slam, then Bilodeau followed with a triple to quickly stretch a seven-point halftime lead to 15 by the under-16 media timeout.
ย
Booker found his rhythm, pouring in 10 quick points to reach double figures. But Eastern Washington responded with a 4-for-5 shooting stretch, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers, to cut the deficit back to single digits.
ย
Dent halted the Eagles' momentum with his first three-pointer of the night, then set up Bilodeau for another from deep, forcing an Eastern Washington timeout at the 10:18 mark in a stretch that gave UCLA a much-needed cushion.
ย
Bilodeau stayed hot, scoring 14 of his 19 points after the break, including two second-half threes to anchor the Bruins' offense. The Eagles made one final push, trimming the lead to six in the final minute, but Dent's late bucket sealed the 80-74 win and kept UCLA in control down the stretch.
ย
In the first half, Clark knocked down a pair of early threes and Dent followed with back-to-back buckets to spark UCLA's strong start. Eastern Washington responded, keeping the margin tight at 17-15 by the under-12 media timeout. Clark accounted for eight of the Bruins' first 14 points.
ย
Dent briefly reclaimed the lead for UCLA with a three-point play, but a 1-for-9 shooting stretch allowed the Eagles to pull ahead with 11:08 left in the half. Dent then took control, scoring nine of UCLA's next 11 points to push the Bruins back in front, 25-22, with 6:12 remaining. During that stretch, the UCLA defense clamped down, holding Eastern Washington without a field goal for nearly three minutes.
ย
Bilodeau buried a three for his first points of the night, sparking a personal 5-0 run capped by a mid-range jumper in the lane to extend the lead to seven. Booker then tipped in a miss at the buzzer to send UCLA into the locker room up 40-33.
ย
Dent paced UCLA with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and handed out six assists in the opening half.
ย
The Bruins remain at home for their next contest, hosting local foe Pepperdine on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) inside Pauley Pavilion. The game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.
ย
Team Stats
EWU
UCLA
FG%
.537
.471
3FG%
.280
.308
FT%
.643
.600
RB
30
35
TO
16
8
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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