UCLA advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after a hard-fought 88-84 victory over No. 8 Michigan State on Friday night, despite losing star forward Tyler Bilodeau to a leg injury in the first half.
Key Takeaways
UCLA defeated No. 8 Michigan State 88-84 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals despite losing star player Tyler Bilodeau to a leg injury. Donovan Dent and Trent Perry led the Bruins with key plays down the stretch.
- UCLA advances to face No. 18 Purdue in the semifinals
- Bilodeau injured his right knee late in the first half
- Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 21 points
- Perry sealed the win with two crucial free throws
The Bruins were led by Donovan Dent's 23 points and 12 assists, while Trent Perry added 22 points. UCLA built an early 15-point lead in the second half but had to withstand several late pushes from Michigan State. With just six seconds remaining, Perry sealed the win with two free throws after Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. cut the deficit to 86-84.
Bilodeau, UCLA's leading scorer and rebounder, went down clutching his right knee when his leg buckled while defending Carson Cooper in the post late in the first half. He was helped off the court and spent the second half on the sideline with his right knee wrapped. According to AP News, Coach Mick Cronin all but ruled Bilodeau out for the semifinal game against No. 18 Purdue, saying it would take “literally a miracle for him to play.”
Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. led the Spartans with 21 points and 13 assists, while Carson Cooper and Kur Teng each scored 13 points. The Bruins will face Purdue in the semifinals on Saturday. UCLA previously beat Purdue 69-67 earlier this season.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 3 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.