University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
17-8,9-5Big Ten
Michigan
24-1,14-1Big Ten
Men's Basketball Loses at No. 2 Michigan, 86-56
February 14, 2026 | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The UCLA men's basketball team lost at No. 2-ranked Michigan, 86-56, before 12,707 fans at Crisler Center in a Big Ten showdown on Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) trailed at halftime, 40-38, before Michigan outscored the visitors by a 46-18 margin in the second half. Michigan (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) shot 62 percent from the field against UCLA, including an 18-for-23 effort in the second half (78.3%).
Trent Perry led the Bruins with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau each totaled 10 points. Bilodeau grabbed a team-leading six rebounds.
Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg totaled a team-leading 17 points and had eight rebounds and two blocks, as one of four Wolverines to score in double figures on Saturday. Morez Johnson Jr. had 15 points and three steals, while L.J. Cason tallied 13 points and Nimari Burnett had 12 points.
"We were awful in the second half – we were god-awful," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We missed eight unguarded threes. If you are going to come in here, you've got to score. We have some guys who won't pass the ball and that is frustrating. That's the worst second-half defensive field goal percentage of my career, in 23 years. They were 18 for 23, shot 78 percent, the worst of my career, and I don't have to look it up – I can promise you that. It's not like I forgot how to coach defense. Now, they are really good. But I would be really good, too, if I was shooting layups. I'd probably shoot a high percentage, now Yaxel hit a few shots, and he hasn't shot it well in a while, so give him credit. We missed some wide-open shots. You've got to make double-digit threes to beat them."
Trailing 40-36 with under seven seconds to play in the first half, Dent drove the length of the court and made a layup to send UCLA to the locker room at the intermission trailing by just two points, 40-38. The Bruins had trailed by as many as 11 points – 39-28, with 2:35 left – in the opening half.
UCLA's late first-half scoring run included a basket by Bilodeau at the 1:48 mark, one free throw by Eric Dailey Jr. with 1:13 to play, and a layup from Perry with under 28 seconds left in the half.
Michigan opened the second half with a 19-7 scoring run over the initial seven minutes and 30 seconds to push ahead of the Bruins, 59-45. From that point in the contest, UCLA never closed the gap to any fewer than 12 points.
A pair of free throws by Johnson Jr. at the 7:36 mark in the second half helped Michigan build a 21-point advantage (70-49). The Wolverines pushed their cushion to 30 points in the game's final minute.
The Bruins shot 48.4 percent from the field in the first half, connecting on 15 of 31 shots. UCLA was limited by Michigan to 25.9 percent shooting in the second half, making seven of 27 shots.
UCLA will return to action at No. 10-ranked Michigan State (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Game time at Michigan State's Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Is set for 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET in Michigan).
The Bruins' game on Tuesday evening will be broadcast by Peacock (also available for viewing on NBC Sports Network).
