University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
22-10,13-7Big Ten
Rutgers
14-19,6-14Big Ten
Dent's Triple-Double Leads UCLA Past Rutgers, 72-59
March 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO – Donovan Dent recorded his first career triple-double to lead the No. 6-seed UCLA men's basketball team past No. 14-seed Rutgers, 72-59, in a third-round matchup at the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night.
Dent totaled 12 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the Bruins' 13-point win. He became UCLA's first player with a triple-double since Kyle Anderson against Morehead State on Nov. 22, 2013. Dent also registered the first-ever triple-double in the history of the Big Ten Tournament.
UCLA (22-10) led by a 30-24 margin at halftime and surged ahead early in the second half, claiming a 15-point cushion with under 16 minutes left in the game against Rutgers (14-19). The Bruins registered their fifth win in their last six games and their first victory on a neutral-site court (in four opportunities).
Tyler Bilodeau scored a team-leading 21 points and had five rebounds. Trent Perry registered 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Eric Dailey Jr. had 10 points and six rebounds.
"I have been trying to tell these guys that if you have to score 80 to win, you are going to be going home early," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "That's anybody in the tournament – this tournament, and the next tournament. We didn't shoot it well tonight. There were a lot of wide-open shots. You thought we were going to blow it open late in the first half, because you've watched us play and those guys knock those shots in – for people that usually watch us. Hopefully we saved some of them for tomorrow. You've got to be able to take defense on the road. Your jump shot doesn't always go on the road with you."
The Bruins shot 38 percent from the field and limited Rutgers to 37.9 percent shooting. UCLA was effective at the free throw line, sinking 19 of 23 free throw attempts (82.6 percent), including 11 of 14 in the second half.
Rutgers closed the gap to three points at two instances early in the second half. With UCLA leading, 32-29, the Bruins used a 9-0 scoring run to secure a 41-29 cushion. Bilodeau knocked down a 3-pointer to give UCLA a 39-29 advantage at the 17:12 mark. Perry followed by drawing a foul and hitting both free throw attempts with 16:39 left to play.
UCLA led by 15 points, 46-31, with 15:18 left in regulation before Rutgers answered with a 3-pointer from Jamichael Davis. The Scarlet Knights trimmed the Bruins' advantage to 10 points on a pull-up jump shot from Darren Buchanan Jr. with 13 minutes left.
A 3-point basket from Rutgers' Dylan Grant cut UCLA's margin to nine points, at 57-48, with just under six minutes to play. From that point, UCLA's advantage never fell to any fewer than nine points. Bilodeau drew a foul at the 4:39 mark, converted both free throw shots, before drawing another foul just 15 seconds later. Bilodeau hit both of those free throws and the Bruins led Rutgers, 63-50, with 4:24 remaining. Bilodeau finished Thursday's game having made 8 of 8 free throw attempts.
Dent's triple-double became official late in the second half. He had already totaled at least 10 points and 10 assists, but needed one more rebound. The senior from Riverside, Calif., corralled an air-balled attempt from Rutgers' Lino Mark with 2:51 left in the game for his career-best 10th rebound.
Earlier in the game, UCLA and Rutgers traded a couple of scoring runs. The Bruins were down 4-0 early on, within the first 90 seconds, and used an 11-0 scoring run to jump ahead of the Scarlet Knights, 11-4. Just minutes later, Rutgers raced ahead of the Bruins, 12-11, by scoring eight straight points.
UCLA countered with a 7-0 run midway through the half to lead Rutgers, 18-12, at the 10:44 mark. Dent's shot high off the glass dropped in to put the Bruins on top, 18-12.
The Bruins' 13-point victory on Thursday sets up a quarterfinal showdown against No. 3-seed Michigan State on Friday at approximately 6 p.m. (PT). The Bruins absorbed an 82-59 loss at Michigan State on the night of Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Breslin Center. That marked the only meeting this season between UCLA and Michigan State.
The Bruins' matchup against Michigan State on Friday will be nationally televised by Big Ten Network.
