University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
23-10,13-7Big Ten
Michigan State
25-7,15-5Big Ten
Men's Basketball Outlasts No. 8 Michigan State, 88-84
March 13, 2026 | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO – Donovan Dent scored 23 points and totaled 12 assists to lead the No. 6-seed UCLA men's basketball team past No. 3-seed Michigan State, 88-84, in a quarterfinal contest of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center on Friday night.
Dent made 3 of 5 shots from 3-point distance and tallied six rebounds and four steals as the Bruins punched their ticket into the tournament semifinals. For the second straight night, Dent had at least 10 points and 10 assists. He logged a point-rebound-assist triple-double against Rutgers on Thursday.
UCLA (23-10) will take on No. 7-seed Purdue (25-8) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (PT) at the United Center. Purdue knocked off Nebraska, 74-58, in a quarterfinal matchup prior to UCLA's game.
Trent Perry made all six of his free throw attempts in the game's final 45 seconds, finishing the contest with 22 points and three assists, to help UCLA secure the win. Perry was 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point distance.
Skyy Clark totaled 15 points and Eric Dailey Jr. finished with 14 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
"We matched their physicality and played an unbelievable first half. Guys never flinched, kept knocking in big shots, both these guys next to me [Trent and Donovan] and Skyy Clark – four guys in double figures. Obviously, to win this game with Tyler [Bilodeau] only playing 10 minutes is monumental for us, monumental for us. Brandon Williams, big night, nine points and four rebounds."
Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. led the Spartans with 21 points and 13 assists. Carson Cooper registered 13 points and five rebounds for Michigan State.
UCLA notched its sixth win in its last seven games, improving to 23-10 overall. The Bruins avenged an 82-59 loss at Michigan State on Feb. 17, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and sinking 13 of 27 attempts from 3-point range. In addition, UCLA knocked down 15 of its 19 free throw attempts.
After the Bruins trailed early, 12-8 with 15:03 to play in the opening half, UCLA secured a 19-14 cushion with 10:53 remaining. From that point, the Bruins never lost their lead. UCLA led Michigan State by as many as 13 points late in the first half and entered the locker room at halftime ahead, 44-33.
Michigan State reduced a 15-point deficit down to just two points at multiple intervals late in the second half. UCLA led 75-63 with 4:54 to play before the Spartans trimmed the Bruins' cushion to four points (75-71) with 2:34 left in regulation.
Leading 80-78, UCLA got to the free throw line at the 36-second mark and Perry knocked down both free throw attempts.
A layup by Brandon Williams with 25 seconds left put UCLA ahead, 84-80. Michigan State answered with a bucket and again, Perry hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to go. Fears Jr. hit a driving layup for Michigan State with six seconds left, cutting UCLA's lead to 86-84, and Perry drew a foul and made two free throws. Dent intercepted a pass by Michigan State in the final four seconds to seal the win.
UCLA's semifinal showdown on Saturday against No. 18-ranked Purdue will be nationally televised by CBS (12:30 p.m. PT, 2:30 p.m. CT in Chicago). Fans in the greater Los Angeles region can listen to the Bruins' radio broadcast on AM 790 (KLAC).
