LAS VEGAS – Trent Perry scored a game-high 21 points and added five assists as the No. 22 UCLA men’s basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with an 84-75 victory over No. 5 Arizona on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Perry, Eric Dailey Jr. (13 points), Jaylen Petty (12 points) and Nikola Kusturica (10 points) each scored in double figures for UCLA (1-0). The Bruins led Arizona (0-1) for nearly the entire contest and withstood multiple second-half charges from the Wildcats in the season-opening game for both teams.

UCLA improved to 7-1 in season openers under Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach.

“We have great people on our team,” Cronin said after the win. “They're smart enough to understand that the least important thing on the stat sheet is total points. They get it. They understand that basketball is about what you do without the ball, how you communicate, and everything else that contributes to winning.”

Perry and Petty helped guide a Bruins’ offense that finished the game with 16 assists and just seven turnovers.

The Bruins led at halftime, 43-29, and by as many as 16 points early in the second half before Arizona reduced UCLA’s cushion to 71-70 at the 3:11 mark late in the game.

UCLA responded at that point with a 3-point basket by Xavier Booker, who finished the game with eight points and three assists. Booker’s triple put UCLA on top, 74-70, with 2:59 to play.

Dailey Jr. converted on a basket in the paint with 1:31 remaining, giving UCLA a 76-70 cushion.

Perry finished the game 11-for-11 at the free throw stripe, knocking down all four of his attempts in the game’s final 90 seconds. The victory marked UCLA’s first win over a top-five ranked team in the AP poll since Jan. 20, 2026, when the Bruins knocked off No. 4-ranked Purdue at Pauley Pavilion, 69-67.

Monday’s season opener included the UCLA debuts for four players – junior Sergej Macura, sophomore Azavier Robinson and freshmen Nikola Kusturica and Joe Philon III.

Kusturica registered 10 points, five rebounds and a team-leading three steals.

Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov totaled a game-best 38 points and had 10 rebounds. Derek Dixon netted 18 points and five rebounds through 37 minutes.

In the game’s final minute, Kusturica found a streaking Dailey Jr. cross-court pass and a resulting thunderous dunk to push UCLA on top, with 40 seconds to go.

Kusturica and Perry combined to go 6-for-6 at the free-throw line in the final 32 seconds, helping UCLA seal the victory.

Perry got the Bruins rolling early, scoring UCLA's first four points on a jumper and a floater. Petty followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Bruins a 10-4 advantage.

Macura provided a spark off the bench with Booker and Brandon Williams both in foul trouble. The 6-foot-9 forward who played at Mississippi State last season nailed consecutive 3-pointers to help spark an 8-0 scoring run during UCLA’s early cushion.

The Bruins extended their lead to 14 points, midway through the first half, when Philon III punctuated a fast break with an alley-oop slam, and Petty followed with his third 3-pointer of the opening half.

Arizona cut UCLA’s lead to single digits midway into the second half.

With the Bruins ahead, 68-60, at the 5:03 mark, Philon III knocked down a wide-open 3-point attempt to put UCLA on top by 11.

The Wildcats continued chipping away, as Kharchenkov and Dixon led Arizona’s offensive attack. A 3-point basket by Dixon at the 3:36 mark reduced UCLA’s lead to 71-68, and a pair of free throws by Kharchenkov cut down the margin to just 71-70.

UCLA will host North Florida in the Bruins’ home opener on Friday evening, inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Game time on Friday, Nov. 6 is 7:30 p.m. (PT). The Bruins’ home opener will be televised by Big Ten Network.

Game Notes: The Bruins played their first season-opening contest against a top-25 ranked team since the 2000-01 season (that year, UCLA took on No. 7 Kansas in New York) … UCLA registered 16 offensive rebounds in the win over Arizona, more than the Bruins totaled in any games last season … the Bruins had 20 offensive boards in a game against Wisconsin at the Big Ten Tournament on March 14, 2025 … likewise, UCLA’s 45 rebounds were the most in a game since a home win over Ohio State on Feb. 23, 2025 … guard Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty combined for 12 assists and two turnovers … UCLA made 20 of 25 free throws, with Perry shooting 11-for-11 at the line … Bruins’ sophomore Filip Jović was unavailable due to a left ankle injury sustained in practice.