Tyler Bilodeau scores career-high 34 points in UCLA win over UC Riverside

LOS ANGELES - Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau looked unstoppable on the court of Pauley Pavilion Tuesday against UC Riverside (6-8, 1-1) and he made that clear with a career-high 34 point performance to lead UCLA (10-3, 2-0) to a 97-65 victory. 

It looked like a mismatch in play styles from the very beginning. The Highlanders' defense seemed set up to allow Bilodeau to break through in the paint and UCLA head coach Mick Cronin was well aware of that going into the game. 

"They [UC Riverside] don't double, so I said, 'Buddy, you've got one night here where they're just going to let you keep dribbling until you shoot it. So go have fun.'" 

Have fun is exactly what Bilodeau did. He shot 12-19 from the field, dominating in the post and even mixing it up with several fadeaway shots. In addition, he was freed up to shoot from beyond the arc in addition to his inside-the-paint dominance and landed four of his seven triples.

Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune

UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) talking to coach during an NCAA basketball game against UC Riverside, Tuesday December 23rd, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Anticipating the matchup, Cronin slotted Bilodeau in the five throughout the game, a position he almost exclusively played last season, but hasn't touched as much with the presence of junior forward Xavier Booker. However, Cronin had Bilodeau there to complement his guard heavy rotation and put Bilodeau in a position to eat from under the rim against the Highlanders' outmatched bigs. Bilodeau's mobility and shooting skill gave him an advantage over his opponents playing the same position and he took full advantage of that. 

"Whatever lineup works. Tyler's playing the five a lot recently. He's been getting open looks. Three guard lineup, we've been pushing in transition a lot more. We're just finding the groove before Big Ten," sophomore guard Trent Perry said. 

Another major part of not just Bilodeau's big game, but the Bruins' scoring as a whole was the synergy between Bilodeau and senior guard Skyy Clark. 

While it was an off-day shooting wise for Clark, he was precise with his passing and ability to find open looks of his teammates. More than once Clark would use his signature mobility to draw defenders in before delivering a laser-sharp bounce pass to Bilodeau, who waited patiently under the rim. 

Conversely, Bilodeau would use his size to box defenders out before shoving the ball off to a charging Clark and set a screen in the process to open up the lane, leading to a stunning one-two punch from the senior Bruins. 

"It's great. We played together last year and carrying it over this year, we've just got a feel for each other's game," Bilodeau said. "We know where we like it on the court. Just got to keep trying to build that chemistry and keep trying to win games," Bilodeau said.