UCLA men’s basketball edges Washington

LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t always pretty, but UCLA grinded out its fifth win in six games on Saturday night. The Bruins threw out multiple defensive looks, navigated their leading scorer’s foul trouble and continued to take care of the ball.

UCLA beat Washington 77-73, a point for the win column by any means necessary. Trent Perry scored a game-high 23 points and hit four free throws in the final minute as the Huskies threatened to come back.

Donovan Dent had 17 points and 10 assists, his sixth double-double of the season. Tyler Bilodeau added 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half.

UCLA fell behind early because of sloppy play with four turnovers in the first five minutes. Wesley Yates, who led Washington with 21 points, punished UCLA’s slow closeouts, scoring 12 of the Huskies’ first 14 points, the USC transfer quickly reminding his former crosstown foes of his capabilities.

After Washington took an eight-point lead, UCLA adjusted its defense. The Bruins deployed a full-court press, which fell back into a matchup zone. They forced four consecutive stops, grabbed defensive rebounds and broke quickly on offense. Dent drove for a lefty layup, knocked down a pair of free throws, and found Perry for a transition 3-pointer to put UCLA ahead.

Washington countered with a zone of its own, containing UCLA’s offense, and building a four-point lead at the break. The Bruins shot just 34.5% from the field in the first half, with their Bilodeau only attempting four shots.

Bilodeau needed more opportunities, and UCLA understood that. The Bruins ran a pick-and-pop on the opening possession of the second half, and Dent found Bilodeau for a left-wing 3. He banged another one from the corner to tie the game, and hit a turnaround jump shot with Hannes Steinbach’s hand in his face.

Eric Dailey Jr. hit a 3-pointer and calmly spun for a baseline jumper. Dent picked Steinbach’s pocket, turning into an easy layup, and knocked down a pair of free throws as UCLA went on an 11-4 run.

At that point, Bilodeau had run his scoring total up to 15 points, but a pair of unnecessary off-ball fouls brought his tally to four. Head coach Mick Cronin took him out with 10:37 remaining.

Washington surged back. Lathan Sommerville made a hook shot and Yates scooped a layup, cutting the margin to two.

Cronin took a risk. Bilodeau re-entered with 5:39 to go. He immediately went back to work, scooting past Steinbach for a 3-point play.

Dailey made another jumper. Dent glided for a layup to put UCLA up nine with 1:37 left. The Huskies weren’t done. Peterson and Yates combined for 10 quick points, but the Bruins shot 6 of 6 from the free throw line to seal the game.

More to come on this story.