UCLA
13-6,5-3Big Ten
Purdue
17-2,7-1Big Ten
Bilodeau Propels Bruins Past No. 4 Purdue, 69-67
January 20, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Tyler Bilodeau hit the game-winning 3-point shot with 8.2 seconds remaining to lift the Bruins past No. 4 Purdue, 69-67, in a Big Ten Conference game inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Tuesday night.
With 23 seconds left on the clock, the Bruins (13-6, 5-3 Big Ten) had the ball down, 67-66. Trent Perry inbounded the ball to Donovan Dent. After dribbling around the top of the 3-point arc, found Dent found Bilodeau open on the wing. The senior forward sank a 3-poiner to push UCLA ahead of Purdue, 69-67.
Purdue (17-2, 7-1 Big Ten) immediately called a timeout to set up one last play, but a 3-point attempt by C.J. Cox hit the rim and time expired.
UCLA had trailed Purdue, 27-15, in the first half and used a 17-5 scoring run to tie the game, 32-32, by halfttime.
"They were making everything early," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "I told the guys, when it was 27-15, that we were getting good shots. We've been a little sensitive to that and especially with Skyy being out because he is our toughest fighter guy. I told them in the timeout that it is a long game. They made everything and we were missing open shots. We had one bad play and Trent had a turnover for a layup so I had to call timeout. They came back and then we came back and it was a great game."
UCLA recorded its first victory over a top-five ranked team since Jan. 25, 2022, when the No. 7-ranked Bruins defeated No. 3-ranked Arizona, 75-59, inside Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins notched their first win as an unranked team against a top-five opponent since March 30, 2021, when UCLA downed No. 4 Michigan in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, 51-49.
Dent led all scorers on Tuesday night with 23 points and 13 assists. He registered his third point-assist double-double of the season. Dent's 13 assists marked a season high, and stood one shy of his previous career high (14 assists on Jan. 16, 2024, versus Utah State).
Dent became UCLA's first player with 13 or more assists in a game since Tyger Campbell, as a redshirt freshman in 2019-20, logged 14 assists in a home win over Arizona State on Feb. 27, 2020.
Three other Bruins finished in double figures as Bilodeau added 14 points, Eric Dailey Jr. had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Perry finished with 11 points. Perry shot 2-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc.
UCLA trailed 67-61 with 1:32 to go in the game, before Dent hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 67-64. A layup from Dailey Jr. cut the deficit to one point, at 67-66, after the Bruins got a stop on the defensive end with 1:05 remaining.
The Bruins forced a turnover with 32 seconds to go, before Bilodeau hit the go-ahead basket with 8.2 seconds remaining.
Dent finished through contact to tie the game, at 58-58, with 5:30 remaining in the contest. The Boilermakers stretched the lead to 62-58 before a Bilodeau 3-pointer got the Bruins within one, 62-61, with 3:40 to go.
Bilodeau nailed his second 3-pointer of the night to push the Bruins ahead by four points, at 46-42. On the next Bruins' possession, Dent recorded his 10th assist of the night off a dish to Dailey Jr. for the dunk. UCLA led Purdue, 48-45, with 12:45 to play.
The Bruins jumped out to a 39-34 advantage, three minutes into the half, after Dent and Perry both cashed in. That sequence brought the Pauley Pavilion crowd to its feet.
UCLA shot 50 percent in the first half – making 14 of 28 shots. Dent and Perry each had eight points in the opening half to lead the Bruins. Dent had six of his team-leading 13 assists in the first half.
The Bruins continued to claw their way back in the closing stages of the first half. Dailey Jr. made a floater in the lane to cut Purdue's margin to 32-30, with 1:20 left in the half. The Bruins forced two missed shots from the Boilermakers, before Dent dribbled the ball up the court with under 30 seconds left in the half. With five seconds left on the clock, Dent drove into the lane and pulled up, taking a shot from the top of the key. His shot bounced off the back of the rim and fell through the hoop as the buzzer sounded, tying the contest at 32-32 at halftime.
Purdue used a 13-3 run to take a 27-15 lead with 7:24 remaining in the opening half. UCLA responded with a quick 11-0 burst to cut the lead to one, 27-26, courtesy of a drive and finish from Dent and a three from Booker, a layup and slam from Dailey Jr., and another layup from Dent.
Perry opened the game strongly for the Bruins, connecting from three in the corner to get the Bruins on the board, before adding a mid-range jumper to score a quick five points.
Bilodeau added a three from the wing, cutting the Boilermakers lead to four, 14-10, with just over 13 minutes to go in the first half.
The Bruins will play against Northwestern on Saturday, Jan. 24. Game time at Pauley Pavilion is set for 3 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game on Saturday will be nationally televised by FS1.
UCLA will play four of its next five games at home. In addition to this Saturday's home contest against Northwestern, UCLA has home contests on the horizon against Indiana (Saturday, Jan. 31,), Rutgers (Tuesday, Feb. 3) and Washington (Saturday, Feb. 7).
