University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
19-10,11-7Big Ten
Minnesota
14-15,7-11Big Ten
Men's Basketball Falls at Minnesota, 78-73
February 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The UCLA men's basketball team fell at Minnesota, 78-73, in a Big Ten contest on Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena.
Tyler Bilodeau scored a team-leading 32 points for UCLA (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten), while Donovan Dent tied his career high in assists with 15. Dent also had 15 assists last Saturday in a win at home over Illinois. Dent has now registered 38 assists over his last three games.
The Bruins shot 51 percent from the field (29-for-57) and made 10 attempts from 3-point range.
Three UCLA players finished in double-figure scoring. Bilodeau had 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting, while Eric Dailey Jr. had 18 points and Skyy Clark finished with 17. Clark entered the game with 986 career points, and he surpassed the 1,000-career-point plateau in the second half on Saturday.
Minnesota (14-15, 7-11 Big Ten) finished the afternoon 29-for-50 from the field (58 percent) and added 12 three-pointers. Bobby Durkin led the way for the Golden Gophers with 23 points. Durkin shot 7-for-11 from 3-point distance.
"We were plus 10 on the glass, shoot 51 percent, make 10 threes, you should win, but not with this team," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We've struggled defensively all year. It's been a grind, something I haven't experienced in 30 years in college – 23 as a head coach, seven as an assistant. I have never experienced anything like this. We just have deficiencies and they exposed them. Give them all the credit. Execution is what it is all about, and I'm talking about defensive execution. We have weaknesses. They exposed them, give them the credit."
With the Bruins trailing, 59-55, with 11 minutes remaining, Bilodeau rattled off the next six points for UCLA. The game was tied, 61-61 with 7:59 left in regulation, and Minnesota responded with a 6-0 scoring to secure a 67-61 cushion at the 6:15 mark.
A 3-point basket by Clark cut Minnesota's advantage to 73-70 with 2:42 remaining. The Golden Gophers answered with a 3-point basket to lead UCLA, 76-70.
Bilodeau converted an and-one opportunity to cut Minnesota's lead to 76-73, with 1:50 left in regulation. Neither team converted on their next three possessions, and the Bruins had the ball with 30 seconds remaining but could not tie the game. With 12 seconds left in the game, Minnesota converted two free throws to take a 78-73 lead.
The Bruins finished the opening half shooting 57 percent from the field (16-for-28), and tallied seven three-pointers, as UCLA took a 41-40 lead into the halftime break. Bilodeau and Clark both finished the half in double figures, with 16 points and 10 points, respectively, while Dent added a season-high nine first-half assists.
Both teams started out hot, combining to shoot 8-for-10 from the field over the opening 4:30 of the game. Clark tallied five quick points, early on for the Bruins.
Minnesota utilized a 6-0 scoring run to take a 24-15 lead. Clark and Bilodeau answered with a triple each for the Bruins, reducing Minnesota's early margin to 24-21.
With 8:15 to play in the first half, UCLA took a 30-27 lead. That marked the Bruins' first advantage since being ahead, 5-4, in the opening minutes of the game. Bilodeau and Clark combined to score 22 points through the game's first 12 minutes. The Bruins' senior duo shot a combined 6-for-8 from 3-point territory, in the early going. Bilodeau made each of his first four 3-point attempts against Minnesota.
The Bruins return home to host Nebraska on Tuesday, March 3. Tipoff is set for 8 pm (PT) in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. The Bruins' home finale will be nationally broadcast on FS1.
In all, UCLA has two regular-season games remaining. The Bruins will host their home finale on Tuesday against No. 12-ranked Nebraska before playing at USC on Saturday, March 7.
Game Notes: Donovan Dent had 15 assists for the second time in the last three games (also, last Saturday versus Illinois) … through the Bruins' past three contests, Dent has registered 38 assists and one turnover … Tyler Bilodeau entered the day as the Big Ten's top 3-point shooter – he was 4-for-7 from long-range and has now shot 45.5 percent (56-for-123) from 3-point range in 27 games … the Bruins had 27 assists and six turnovers, while Minnesota generated 24 assists and three turnovers … Skyy Clark tied his season high in assists with five … Clark's free throw with 15:09 left in the second half marked his 1,000th career point.
