University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 71, Northwestern 64
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 71, Northwestern 64
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
January 24, 2026
The Michael Price Family Head Basketball Coach Mick Cronin
opening statement
โObviously, we got a little fatigued late. Tylerโs been battling sickness, him and Brandon Williams. If youโre watching Tyler, he couldnโt get his breath most of the night. He still has 18. Heโs seven for 11. But it affects his defense and rebounding. Defensively, I thought our guysโ effort was great. We gave up too many offensive rebounds early in the game. Obviously, we struggled at the foul line and had some sloppy turnovers. Now Iโm going to say two things โ one, Chris [Collins] made a great adjustment. He just went small. We donโt have anybody that can throw it in the post. You know, Mike Warrenโs not out there throwing it. We really struggled to throw it to the man in the low post. Now, when he was getting pushed and fouled a few times, when we tried to, there was no call. But we really struggle in that area. My guess is Trent [Perry] and Donny [Dent] get tired. The fact that weโre winning games without Skyy Clark in this conference is โ I donโt care what Northwesternโs record is, theyโre like 46 in the KenPom. Thatโs what time it is. We can win without Skyy and keep winning until we can get him back, and youโre going to ask me and I donโt know. Heโs trying. Hamstring is a tough injury. Itโs just a tough injury. Nobody wants to be back more than him. You know, this kidโs been through enough, dealing with his fatherโs strokes while he was in college, and passing away this summer. He is doing everything he can, but weโre just trying to hold down the fort until we can get him back. But Donny and Trent, I think some fatigue factors in for us late in games.โ
on tonightโs defensive effort
โIf you donโt give up layups and dunks, youโve got a chance to stop people, however you accomplish that. I obviously get asked a lot for advice. Everybodyโs got different personnel, so weโve been trying to adjust defensively how we do things. Stuff that, obviously, to the lay person, you might not see into our defense to not give up layups and dunks. We have some weaknesses that we have to hide, everybody has them. They only had 24 points in the paint, they had 44 against USC. And we fouled too much tonight, we fouled way too much. Layups and dunks and free throws.โ
on limiting Nick Martinelliโs offensive efficiency
โYouโve just got to try to make him work for everything. Donโt give up anything easy, you know? Heโs shooting 52 [percent] from three. Again, Iโm going to say this, for these kids that are playing 37, 38 minutes like Nick Martinelli and our guards right now, itโs a tough grind. I donโt care, even Superman at Purdue, itโs tough [Braden Smith]. Itโs tough every night. Thereโs going to be times, like I thought he missed a few threes that I was surprised he missed. Heโs a great player, man. Great player. Great kid. But we tried to make him work for it. But if you lose him at all, man, heโs the master of that flip shot. Heโs just the master of it. We really wanted to keep him off the foul line. Heโs averaging like seven free throws a game. We held him to four.โ
on Trent Perryโs increased communication
โWell, if you want smart guys, you try to recruit them. Iโm not aware if you know, Trent didnโt go to Harvard-Westlake as a basketball recruit. He went as a student and then became a basketball player โ smart guys talk out there. You know, the guys that donโt talk that much because coach says youโve got to talk, youโve got to talk, theyโre not being belligerent in just not doing it on purpose. They donโt know what to say. They donโt think as quick as other guys. Guys that think quick, they can talk and see things because theyโre smart. You just recruit smart players. But early, I thought he passed up a layup, and I see youโre driving, and youโve got these freshmen on you, youโre just schooling on them. You know, they canโt stop you. He got his confidence going. It was him and Donny in the first half, offensively.โ
on Trent Perryโs effort plays
โWell, again, the guy won a state championship and went to a high school where they have a high standard. If you can recruit guys that come from places where itโs not about them, and itโs about winning, it helps. So, he doesnโt know any other way of playing the game. Even if he wanted to, it wasnโt going to happen in his high school career. And what the problem though in society though, is that people run from that, instead of running to it. Thatโs the problem with sports today. But I was able to trick him into coming here, and hopefully I can trick him into staying. Itโs just, the bolo left hand bolo pass to the cheerleaders literally could have put me in the hospital.โ
on Donovan Dentโs performance after his 23-point game on Tuesday against Purdue
โYeah, Donnyโs just got, you know, he and I are working on his free throws. His problem is, weโre still working on this with him, he lets play A effect play B, or shot A effect shot B. You canโt be like that in life, or as a student-athlete, or a basketball player. Heโs getting better at it, though. Heโs getting better at it. You know, youโre in a ring in a fight โ youโre going to get hit. Youโve got to learn how to punch back. You canโt be โOh, howโd I get hit?โ You do that, the guy is going to be all over him. So, thatโs probably the last horizon with him. I mean that. Not worrying about offense. First of all, you get fouled and they donโt call it. And I know itโs hard to believe, but I was an All-City player in Cincinnati, it happened all the time. So, itโs been happening forever. It happens. Youโve got to just keep playing. That is a big thing with him. Heโs just got to get better in that area. But I keep telling you, like I said, I thought that Eric Daileyโs physicality going to get defensive rebounds was a big key for us today. Big key for us today.โ
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on the growth of his game
โJust playing basketball, being confident. The coaching staff is telling me to be aggressive. With Skyy out, he is a great scorer and all that, so just try to step into that role a little bit. I have to take care of the ball a little bit better. I had three turnovers in the second half. I have to do better on that.โ
on getting his shots
โJust putting in a lot of work this offseason. Just getting to my spots. With ball handling, you have to secure the ball, and get there first, and then execute. Trusting my work. Iโm happy that Iโm able to show it.โ
on what Skyy Clark has told him while heโs been out (injury)
โSame advice that Iโve always gotten, just keep being aggressive. Also being a defensive anchor at the same time. I think our team has done a great job talking. I think that has been helping with our defense. Rotating, talking, we make mistakes, but communication helps a long way.โ
on finishing in the post
โFor me, when I almost killed coach with that bowling pass that he talked about. I have to try to throw it to where Tylerโs hand is. He had a smaller defender, I donโt know why I tried to bounce pass it in that moment. We just have to get it to our bigs a bit more. They are open in the post, and Tyler being our leading scorer, we just have to get it to him a little bit more, and heโs able to do his thing down there.โย
UCLA senior Tyler Bilodeau ย ย
on his game
โYouโre always going to battle through injuries, illness, those types of things this season. I thought we had a good start. At the end, it got a little sloppy. I think we could have executed better for sure. Got the win, so thatโs all that matters.โ
on building momentum
โI think so, for sure. We have more work to do. But to get these two wins, I think thatโs big. We just have to keep building on that. I think we need to keep working on those things, rebounding, and some little defensive mishaps, and also keep clicking on offense. Just keep working on those things. But yeah, looking forward to these next games.โ
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins
opening statement
โCongrats to UCLA. It was a hard-fought game today. I was proud of my teamโs effort. We didnโt defend very well in the first half. We lost Bilodeau a bunch of times on pick-and-pops. We werenโt able to keep [Donovan] Dent and [Trent] Perry out of the paint. I thought their dribble penetration in the first half was really hurting us. We made a few adjustments with our coverage in the second half and gave ourselves a chance to get back in the game. Told our guys, weโve been out here for seven days, get down by 16 [points]. You know a lot of teams wouldโve said, โMan, itโs okay. Letโs go home.โ So thatโs what I was really proud of our guys, fighting back to get it to six there. There were just two real critical possessions โ ย huge shot in the corner coming out of the timeout, to put them up nine, and then we got kind of trapped on the sideline. We were trying to get a timeout, and the referee didnโt see it. That was a big turnover. And then we fouled, so it went six to 11, right there. That was kind of the separation they needed to kind of get the game pressure off. We got better this week. We were able to come out here and split two games. We had come out here, kind of a battered team, a little bit demoralized being 0-7. I think we regained some spirit on the trip. That was good for us and hopefully will help us, moving forward.โ
on what UCLA has done to improve defensively throughout the year
โYeah, they have some older guys. They have incredible length, and their size is impressive in person. Especially with the front line of Dailey Jr., Booker, and Bilodeau. I think Dent is playing better. He had his struggles early in the season. The last couple of games have kind of become who he has been in his college career. Iโm a big fan of Perry. I think he does a lot of good things quietly. A lot of those other guys get a lot of attention, and rightfully so, but I thought he was a huge part of why they won today. His physicality, he made two big free throws late, made some big shots at the end of the clock. Giveโs them a good secondary ball handler to help Donovan.โ
ย
UCLA 71, Northwestern 64
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
January 24, 2026
The Michael Price Family Head Basketball Coach Mick Cronin
opening statement
โObviously, we got a little fatigued late. Tylerโs been battling sickness, him and Brandon Williams. If youโre watching Tyler, he couldnโt get his breath most of the night. He still has 18. Heโs seven for 11. But it affects his defense and rebounding. Defensively, I thought our guysโ effort was great. We gave up too many offensive rebounds early in the game. Obviously, we struggled at the foul line and had some sloppy turnovers. Now Iโm going to say two things โ one, Chris [Collins] made a great adjustment. He just went small. We donโt have anybody that can throw it in the post. You know, Mike Warrenโs not out there throwing it. We really struggled to throw it to the man in the low post. Now, when he was getting pushed and fouled a few times, when we tried to, there was no call. But we really struggle in that area. My guess is Trent [Perry] and Donny [Dent] get tired. The fact that weโre winning games without Skyy Clark in this conference is โ I donโt care what Northwesternโs record is, theyโre like 46 in the KenPom. Thatโs what time it is. We can win without Skyy and keep winning until we can get him back, and youโre going to ask me and I donโt know. Heโs trying. Hamstring is a tough injury. Itโs just a tough injury. Nobody wants to be back more than him. You know, this kidโs been through enough, dealing with his fatherโs strokes while he was in college, and passing away this summer. He is doing everything he can, but weโre just trying to hold down the fort until we can get him back. But Donny and Trent, I think some fatigue factors in for us late in games.โ
on tonightโs defensive effort
โIf you donโt give up layups and dunks, youโve got a chance to stop people, however you accomplish that. I obviously get asked a lot for advice. Everybodyโs got different personnel, so weโve been trying to adjust defensively how we do things. Stuff that, obviously, to the lay person, you might not see into our defense to not give up layups and dunks. We have some weaknesses that we have to hide, everybody has them. They only had 24 points in the paint, they had 44 against USC. And we fouled too much tonight, we fouled way too much. Layups and dunks and free throws.โ
on limiting Nick Martinelliโs offensive efficiency
โYouโve just got to try to make him work for everything. Donโt give up anything easy, you know? Heโs shooting 52 [percent] from three. Again, Iโm going to say this, for these kids that are playing 37, 38 minutes like Nick Martinelli and our guards right now, itโs a tough grind. I donโt care, even Superman at Purdue, itโs tough [Braden Smith]. Itโs tough every night. Thereโs going to be times, like I thought he missed a few threes that I was surprised he missed. Heโs a great player, man. Great player. Great kid. But we tried to make him work for it. But if you lose him at all, man, heโs the master of that flip shot. Heโs just the master of it. We really wanted to keep him off the foul line. Heโs averaging like seven free throws a game. We held him to four.โ
on Trent Perryโs increased communication
โWell, if you want smart guys, you try to recruit them. Iโm not aware if you know, Trent didnโt go to Harvard-Westlake as a basketball recruit. He went as a student and then became a basketball player โ smart guys talk out there. You know, the guys that donโt talk that much because coach says youโve got to talk, youโve got to talk, theyโre not being belligerent in just not doing it on purpose. They donโt know what to say. They donโt think as quick as other guys. Guys that think quick, they can talk and see things because theyโre smart. You just recruit smart players. But early, I thought he passed up a layup, and I see youโre driving, and youโve got these freshmen on you, youโre just schooling on them. You know, they canโt stop you. He got his confidence going. It was him and Donny in the first half, offensively.โ
on Trent Perryโs effort plays
โWell, again, the guy won a state championship and went to a high school where they have a high standard. If you can recruit guys that come from places where itโs not about them, and itโs about winning, it helps. So, he doesnโt know any other way of playing the game. Even if he wanted to, it wasnโt going to happen in his high school career. And what the problem though in society though, is that people run from that, instead of running to it. Thatโs the problem with sports today. But I was able to trick him into coming here, and hopefully I can trick him into staying. Itโs just, the bolo left hand bolo pass to the cheerleaders literally could have put me in the hospital.โ
on Donovan Dentโs performance after his 23-point game on Tuesday against Purdue
โYeah, Donnyโs just got, you know, he and I are working on his free throws. His problem is, weโre still working on this with him, he lets play A effect play B, or shot A effect shot B. You canโt be like that in life, or as a student-athlete, or a basketball player. Heโs getting better at it, though. Heโs getting better at it. You know, youโre in a ring in a fight โ youโre going to get hit. Youโve got to learn how to punch back. You canโt be โOh, howโd I get hit?โ You do that, the guy is going to be all over him. So, thatโs probably the last horizon with him. I mean that. Not worrying about offense. First of all, you get fouled and they donโt call it. And I know itโs hard to believe, but I was an All-City player in Cincinnati, it happened all the time. So, itโs been happening forever. It happens. Youโve got to just keep playing. That is a big thing with him. Heโs just got to get better in that area. But I keep telling you, like I said, I thought that Eric Daileyโs physicality going to get defensive rebounds was a big key for us today. Big key for us today.โ
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on the growth of his game
โJust playing basketball, being confident. The coaching staff is telling me to be aggressive. With Skyy out, he is a great scorer and all that, so just try to step into that role a little bit. I have to take care of the ball a little bit better. I had three turnovers in the second half. I have to do better on that.โ
on getting his shots
โJust putting in a lot of work this offseason. Just getting to my spots. With ball handling, you have to secure the ball, and get there first, and then execute. Trusting my work. Iโm happy that Iโm able to show it.โ
on what Skyy Clark has told him while heโs been out (injury)
โSame advice that Iโve always gotten, just keep being aggressive. Also being a defensive anchor at the same time. I think our team has done a great job talking. I think that has been helping with our defense. Rotating, talking, we make mistakes, but communication helps a long way.โ
on finishing in the post
โFor me, when I almost killed coach with that bowling pass that he talked about. I have to try to throw it to where Tylerโs hand is. He had a smaller defender, I donโt know why I tried to bounce pass it in that moment. We just have to get it to our bigs a bit more. They are open in the post, and Tyler being our leading scorer, we just have to get it to him a little bit more, and heโs able to do his thing down there.โย
UCLA senior Tyler Bilodeau ย ย
on his game
โYouโre always going to battle through injuries, illness, those types of things this season. I thought we had a good start. At the end, it got a little sloppy. I think we could have executed better for sure. Got the win, so thatโs all that matters.โ
on building momentum
โI think so, for sure. We have more work to do. But to get these two wins, I think thatโs big. We just have to keep building on that. I think we need to keep working on those things, rebounding, and some little defensive mishaps, and also keep clicking on offense. Just keep working on those things. But yeah, looking forward to these next games.โ
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins
opening statement
โCongrats to UCLA. It was a hard-fought game today. I was proud of my teamโs effort. We didnโt defend very well in the first half. We lost Bilodeau a bunch of times on pick-and-pops. We werenโt able to keep [Donovan] Dent and [Trent] Perry out of the paint. I thought their dribble penetration in the first half was really hurting us. We made a few adjustments with our coverage in the second half and gave ourselves a chance to get back in the game. Told our guys, weโve been out here for seven days, get down by 16 [points]. You know a lot of teams wouldโve said, โMan, itโs okay. Letโs go home.โ So thatโs what I was really proud of our guys, fighting back to get it to six there. There were just two real critical possessions โ ย huge shot in the corner coming out of the timeout, to put them up nine, and then we got kind of trapped on the sideline. We were trying to get a timeout, and the referee didnโt see it. That was a big turnover. And then we fouled, so it went six to 11, right there. That was kind of the separation they needed to kind of get the game pressure off. We got better this week. We were able to come out here and split two games. We had come out here, kind of a battered team, a little bit demoralized being 0-7. I think we regained some spirit on the trip. That was good for us and hopefully will help us, moving forward.โ
on what UCLA has done to improve defensively throughout the year
โYeah, they have some older guys. They have incredible length, and their size is impressive in person. Especially with the front line of Dailey Jr., Booker, and Bilodeau. I think Dent is playing better. He had his struggles early in the season. The last couple of games have kind of become who he has been in his college career. Iโm a big fan of Perry. I think he does a lot of good things quietly. A lot of those other guys get a lot of attention, and rightfully so, but I thought he was a huge part of why they won today. His physicality, he made two big free throws late, made some big shots at the end of the clock. Giveโs them a good secondary ball handler to help Donovan.โ
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