Postgame Quotes - UCLA 71, Penn State 60
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 71, Penn State 60
State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
January 14, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“Donny [Donovan Dent] took a shot to the head and was out for a while getting evaluated – not really himself when he came back. But he gutted it out. Didn’t have any turnovers from the time he came back, and I think he had five assists. Obviously, Trent [Perry] made some big shots. They’re a team that likes to double the posts and pack it in the paint, but I got him to a point where he’s not hesitating as an offensive player and I think that matters. It’s huge for him – just got to keep building. If you’re going to win games and go through a season, that’s our third different player to have 30-plus points in a game. Tyler [Bilodeau] and Skyy [Clark], and now Trent. It’s gonna be different guys, you just gonna have to keep grinding out. That’s conference play. They’re banged up. I told you, Tyler hadn’t been out of bed in three days, gets 21 [points]. Zero practices. Zero practices. He’s still sick. I wouldn’t get too close to him. Sounds terrible. He’s got all kinds of medicine. Our training staff and our doctors have done everything they can where he can to play tonight, and he’s done that for himself because he’s a tough kid. I want to say this. I thought the key to the game early, Donny went out, Tyler was still getting his legs back because he hadn’t been out of bed since the Maryland game. Eric Freeny came in and hit two massive shots for us. He gave us 23 minutes of great defense, some rebounding, and he was really, really important to this win. I mean those two shots, to me, were huge.”
on Steven Jamerson II’s impact
“Defensively, we’re getting better at staying in front of our guy. That’s been the key the last two games. Most importantly, Steve had eight rebounds. Steve had some big offensive ones. Tyler had nine defensive. Steve had five offensive, and when we needed them, because we weren’t making anything. Until Trent got going, we were missing everything. Steve had some massive offensive rebounds and put some of them back. Second chance points were 19 to four.”
on Penn State’s Kayden Mingo and if his absence affected the team’s preparation
“Our best player is out. Skyy Clark is out. Everybody’s got guys out. I hope he comes back, I heard he hurt his nose. We didn’t know if he was going to play or not, so that didn’t change anything for us.”
on the status of Skyy Clark heading into the Ohio State game
“I’d put him on the doubtful. He looked good in shootaround. We came over and shot for about 30 minutes today. He looked pretty out there today, but I don’t know.”
on the team’s perfect free throw shooting
“I got rid of the free throw shooting coach and I took over. No, I’m just teasing. I’m going to tell you the secret to making free throws. This is a real simple one – have the right guys get fouled. Trent [Perry] was an elite free throw shooter at Harvard-Westlake. The fact that he hasn’t been that here is just youth, pressure, it doesn’t surprise me. If you go back and watch their state final game, I think they beat Salesian, he did the same thing with the free throws. The two keys for me, the last two games, Steven Jamerson was two-for-two at the line towards the end of the game. That’s huge for a big guy like that.”
on Trent Perry’s growing confidence
“People see me. I yell at guys when they don’t shoot the ball. You end up with a turnover. Shoot it. Let it fly, man. It might go in. You got to let it fly – you can’t be timid. Coaching offensive guys, the guys you know have talent, you gotta empower them.”
on dealing with team’s injuries and illnesses
“You got to push through. You got to get five guys out there and find a way to win the game. I mean, it’s tough. Especially in this era, because you’re not going to be that deep because of the portal.”
UCLA sophomore guard Trent Perry
on helping UCLA win and score 30 points at Penn State
“Grateful for my teammates to trust in me and my coaches to trust in me. I’m just glad we got on the road and got a win.”
on his scoring production increasing
“Just staying confident. Things are going to come your way. Keep playing defense, keep being enthusiastic and the offense will come. That’s what happened tonight.”
on his crucial shots
“Just taking what the defense gives me. Just fortunate that it was coming my way, and I was able to execute.”
on what Coach Cronin has done to help him
“All of the coaches have been telling me, let it fly. With Skyy being out, they have just been telling me if you’re playing with Donny [Dent], he is going to find you. Be aggressive.”
on the first half vs. the second half
“Things happen, you know. With Skyy being out a couple games ago, and now Donny getting out this first half, I was just able to pull the team together, and said we just need to keep locking in. Stay to our principles, and see what happens, and we were able to execute.”
on the strong free-throw shooting
“Just going out there and shooting it. Statistically, I’ve been a great free-throw shooter. All of high school, even last year, I shot about 80-something percent from the free-throw line. This year, started off a little rocky, but no matter what you just have to stay confident and put the work in.”
on taking this game and building momentum
“Just keep building, it’s basketball at the end of the day. We had a pretty rocky start; we lost two in a row. I just think we keep building and we just try to get it done on Saturday.
UCLA redshirt senior center Steven Jamerson II
on the keys to his game against Penn State
“Staying tall and poised. Making sure I stay focused on the task ahead of me. Especially for the play you were talking about, just making sure I stay in front of the ball because coach likes to emphasize that in practice. Especially for the bigs to stay in front, don’t let them drive past us for an easy layup, do the best that we can to stop them from scoring.”
on his big stops
“I think it was good. I think it was good to show that I am capable to guard guys like that. He didn’t give up on trying to drive in on me either. He stopped. He tried to fake. Those hustle plays are fun for me.”
on getting offensive rebounds
“I think it was very important for me to grab those boards. It creates energy for our team, to hopefully get an extra shot off of that rebound. It’s definitely a mental thing for the other team as well, the fact that they can’t get the rebound. It keeps them on the defensive end for longer, makes them more tired, and gives us more opportunities to score.”
on Trent Perry’s strong effort at Penn State
“Trent is my guy. I’ve only been here for this year, but he’s my roommate. I see him day in and day out and it is impressive to see his growth and I can’t wait to see him put more out onto that floor.”
on winning on the road in the Big Ten
“We are trying to make the tournament, so every game counts, every game matters. You win one, cool. Let’s win the next one. Let’s keep that type of mentality. No one likes to lose – either way we have to win, and that’s what we are going out there to do every night.”
UCLA 71, Penn State 60
State College, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
January 14, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“Donny [Donovan Dent] took a shot to the head and was out for a while getting evaluated – not really himself when he came back. But he gutted it out. Didn’t have any turnovers from the time he came back, and I think he had five assists. Obviously, Trent [Perry] made some big shots. They’re a team that likes to double the posts and pack it in the paint, but I got him to a point where he’s not hesitating as an offensive player and I think that matters. It’s huge for him – just got to keep building. If you’re going to win games and go through a season, that’s our third different player to have 30-plus points in a game. Tyler [Bilodeau] and Skyy [Clark], and now Trent. It’s gonna be different guys, you just gonna have to keep grinding out. That’s conference play. They’re banged up. I told you, Tyler hadn’t been out of bed in three days, gets 21 [points]. Zero practices. Zero practices. He’s still sick. I wouldn’t get too close to him. Sounds terrible. He’s got all kinds of medicine. Our training staff and our doctors have done everything they can where he can to play tonight, and he’s done that for himself because he’s a tough kid. I want to say this. I thought the key to the game early, Donny went out, Tyler was still getting his legs back because he hadn’t been out of bed since the Maryland game. Eric Freeny came in and hit two massive shots for us. He gave us 23 minutes of great defense, some rebounding, and he was really, really important to this win. I mean those two shots, to me, were huge.”
on Steven Jamerson II’s impact
“Defensively, we’re getting better at staying in front of our guy. That’s been the key the last two games. Most importantly, Steve had eight rebounds. Steve had some big offensive ones. Tyler had nine defensive. Steve had five offensive, and when we needed them, because we weren’t making anything. Until Trent got going, we were missing everything. Steve had some massive offensive rebounds and put some of them back. Second chance points were 19 to four.”
on Penn State’s Kayden Mingo and if his absence affected the team’s preparation
“Our best player is out. Skyy Clark is out. Everybody’s got guys out. I hope he comes back, I heard he hurt his nose. We didn’t know if he was going to play or not, so that didn’t change anything for us.”
on the status of Skyy Clark heading into the Ohio State game
“I’d put him on the doubtful. He looked good in shootaround. We came over and shot for about 30 minutes today. He looked pretty out there today, but I don’t know.”
on the team’s perfect free throw shooting
“I got rid of the free throw shooting coach and I took over. No, I’m just teasing. I’m going to tell you the secret to making free throws. This is a real simple one – have the right guys get fouled. Trent [Perry] was an elite free throw shooter at Harvard-Westlake. The fact that he hasn’t been that here is just youth, pressure, it doesn’t surprise me. If you go back and watch their state final game, I think they beat Salesian, he did the same thing with the free throws. The two keys for me, the last two games, Steven Jamerson was two-for-two at the line towards the end of the game. That’s huge for a big guy like that.”
on Trent Perry’s growing confidence
“People see me. I yell at guys when they don’t shoot the ball. You end up with a turnover. Shoot it. Let it fly, man. It might go in. You got to let it fly – you can’t be timid. Coaching offensive guys, the guys you know have talent, you gotta empower them.”
on dealing with team’s injuries and illnesses
“You got to push through. You got to get five guys out there and find a way to win the game. I mean, it’s tough. Especially in this era, because you’re not going to be that deep because of the portal.”
UCLA sophomore guard Trent Perry
on helping UCLA win and score 30 points at Penn State
“Grateful for my teammates to trust in me and my coaches to trust in me. I’m just glad we got on the road and got a win.”
on his scoring production increasing
“Just staying confident. Things are going to come your way. Keep playing defense, keep being enthusiastic and the offense will come. That’s what happened tonight.”
on his crucial shots
“Just taking what the defense gives me. Just fortunate that it was coming my way, and I was able to execute.”
on what Coach Cronin has done to help him
“All of the coaches have been telling me, let it fly. With Skyy being out, they have just been telling me if you’re playing with Donny [Dent], he is going to find you. Be aggressive.”
on the first half vs. the second half
“Things happen, you know. With Skyy being out a couple games ago, and now Donny getting out this first half, I was just able to pull the team together, and said we just need to keep locking in. Stay to our principles, and see what happens, and we were able to execute.”
on the strong free-throw shooting
“Just going out there and shooting it. Statistically, I’ve been a great free-throw shooter. All of high school, even last year, I shot about 80-something percent from the free-throw line. This year, started off a little rocky, but no matter what you just have to stay confident and put the work in.”
on taking this game and building momentum
“Just keep building, it’s basketball at the end of the day. We had a pretty rocky start; we lost two in a row. I just think we keep building and we just try to get it done on Saturday.
UCLA redshirt senior center Steven Jamerson II
on the keys to his game against Penn State
“Staying tall and poised. Making sure I stay focused on the task ahead of me. Especially for the play you were talking about, just making sure I stay in front of the ball because coach likes to emphasize that in practice. Especially for the bigs to stay in front, don’t let them drive past us for an easy layup, do the best that we can to stop them from scoring.”
on his big stops
“I think it was good. I think it was good to show that I am capable to guard guys like that. He didn’t give up on trying to drive in on me either. He stopped. He tried to fake. Those hustle plays are fun for me.”
on getting offensive rebounds
“I think it was very important for me to grab those boards. It creates energy for our team, to hopefully get an extra shot off of that rebound. It’s definitely a mental thing for the other team as well, the fact that they can’t get the rebound. It keeps them on the defensive end for longer, makes them more tired, and gives us more opportunities to score.”
on Trent Perry’s strong effort at Penn State
“Trent is my guy. I’ve only been here for this year, but he’s my roommate. I see him day in and day out and it is impressive to see his growth and I can’t wait to see him put more out onto that floor.”
on winning on the road in the Big Ten
“We are trying to make the tournament, so every game counts, every game matters. You win one, cool. Let’s win the next one. Let’s keep that type of mentality. No one likes to lose – either way we have to win, and that’s what we are going out there to do every night.”