UCLA Triumphs Over West Georgia Regardless of Donovan Dent’s Absence

No. 15 UCLA remained undefeated on the season with an 83-62 win over West Georgia Wolves on Monday night time in Los Angeles. Without their star guard Donovan Dent, who sat out as a result of a precautionary muscle pressure, the Bruins maintained poise and depth as Tyler Bilodeau powered them with 21 factors.

Bilodeau and Perry Step Up for UCLA

With Donovan Dent out for the sport, the sophomore ahead Tyler Bilodeau took the highlight as he shot 7-of-12 from the sector and went excellent on all six of his free throws. Freshman guard Trent Perry additionally had a robust presence within the recreation, including 17 factors, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. Eric Dailey Jr. chipped in 14 factors to spherical out the well-rounded offensive effort for UCLA.

Dent, a switch from New Mexico, had been considered one of UCLA’s most constant gamers early within the season, averaging 16.5 factors, 6.5 assists, and three rebounds within the Bruins’ first two wins. His absence pressured others to step up, and so they did precisely that.

Hot Shooting Keeps West Georgia Close Early

The West Georgia Wolves, at 1-2, got here into the sport in opposition to Nebraska trying to rebound and got here out firing from deep. The Wolves hit 13 of 25 three-pointers, led by Brady Hardewig’s 4 long-range pictures and Sheldon Williams-Dryden’s 16 factors.

The Wolves made three-pointers for his or her first 5 area objectives of the sport, however the Bruins have been in a position to mount an 11-0 run to take early command. West Georgia stored up its robust perimeter capturing to chop UCLA‘s halftime result in 37-32.

The Bruins shot a startling 15-of-25 from the ground within the second half after struggling offensively all through the primary half. Meanwhile, the new hand for the Wolves cooled off. The guests went simply 4-of-12 from three-point vary and 11-of-26 general within the last 20 minutes, not sufficient to maintain tempo with UCLA’s balanced assault.

Bruins Take Over within the Second Half

Coming out of the break, the Bruins amped up their tempo and execution. According to AP News, Perry opened the second half by scoring 5 of UCLA’s first seven factors. This stretched the result in 44-34. West Georgia briefly closed the hole with back-to-back threes from Chas Lewless, trimming the deficit to 5.

But UCLA regained the momentum quite shortly. A ten-0 run, keyed by a five-point burst from Bilodeau and a three-pointer from Jamar Brown, prolonged the result in 58-43.