UCLA
12-6,4-3Big Ten
Ohio State
12-5,4-3Big Ten
Men's Basketball Falls at Ohio State, 86-74
January 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio โ The UCLA men's basketball team suffered an 86-74 defeat to Ohio State on Saturday afternoon in a Big Ten Conference game at the Schottenstein Center.
ย
UCLA (12-6, 4-3 Big Ten) was led by senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who finished with 30 points and eight rebounds. The Kennewick, Wash. native was 9-for-19 shooting from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point range, and 8-for-8 at the free throw line. He registered his seventh game this season with at least 20 points and his second 30-plus-point effort this season.
ย
As a team, the Bruins shot 40.8 percent from the floor (25-of-62) and 39.1 percent from three-point distance (9-of-23).
"Highly disappointed," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "Our inability to play defense, I offer no excuses. Blame me โ I recruited them. I signed them as free agents. We're not going to win meaningful games if we can't stop the other team. You can't give up plus 80 and win on the road. You can't do it. We scored 74 points, on the road in the Big Ten. You should have a big-time shot to win. Our defense was an embarrassment today. Last couple games, it was great. Today, we couldn't guard them. We had plenty of time to get ready and talk about it."
ย
Donovan Dent poured in 13 points and handed out a game-high seven assists, while Jamar Brown made a couple 3-pointers to tally eight points off the bench. Eric Dailey Jr. also reached double figures with 12 points.
ย
Ohio State's John Mobley Jr. sunk six three-pointers to highlight his team-leading 28-points. Devin Royal (22 points) and Bruce Thornton (21 points) also eclipsed the 20-point threshold, bolstering the Buckeyes' offensive attack.
ย
Ohio State made 28-of-52 shot attempts (52.8%) and was 9-for-24 from 3-point distance (37.5%),
ย
The Buckeyes opened the second half on a 12-0 scoring run to extend their lead to 18 points. UCLA answered with a 7-0 burst after a thunderous dunk from Dailey Jr., followed by Brown's second three-pointer, but Ohio State immediately replied with an 8-0 scoring run to take a 19-point advantage, its largest margin of the game.
ย
Bilodeau's offensive brilliance kept the Bruins within striking distance, cutting the lead to 10 points with 2:32 remaining, after he sank his fourth 3-pointer of the afternoon. He enjoyed a strong first half to lead the Bruins on offensive, totaling 15 first-half points, while going 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from long range.
ย
Bilodeau helped to provide an early spark for UCLA. He knocked down seven of UCLA's first nine points in the first half. Ohio State responded after the under-12 media break, putting together a 7-0 run that stretched the Buckeyes' lead to nine points, prompting a timeout from UCLA. The Bruins started to heat up from deep, with Bilodeau and Brown each knocking down threes, and Dent also added a pair of 3-pointers. The surge pulled UCLA within three points of Ohio State at the 7:29 mark of the first half.
ย
Dailey Jr. powered his way to back-to-back layups on consecutive trips down the floor, then Bilodeau capped his outstanding half with a late three that trimmed the margin. Ohio State still carried a 42-36 lead into the break after Mobley Jr. beat the buzzer with a triple of his own.
ย
The Bruins return home to host Purdue on Tuesday, Jan. 20, as conference play continues. Tip-off at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial is set for 7 p.m. PT. The matchup will stream live on Peacock.
ย
UCLA will host two games next week โ versus Purdue on Tuesday (Jan. 20) and against Northwestern on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24).
ย
