Purdue saw UCLA finish the game on an 8-0 run, including a game-winning 3 by Tyler Bilodeau.
LOS ANGELES − John Wooden's grandson, Greg, took center court during halftime ceremonies at Pauley Pavilion Tuesday night and declared his grandfather was 2-0 as a coach against Wooden's alma mater.
It doesn't count against Wooden's record, but the Bruins one-upped Purdue basketball again on John Wooden bobblehead night.
Tyler Bilodeau's 3 with 8.4 seconds left, followed by Cox's missed 3 on the final play, gave UCLA a 69-67 comeback win over fourth-ranked Purdue.
Donovan Dent scored 23 points and added 13 assists and three blocks to lead UCLA in knocking the Boilermakers out of first place in the Big Ten and snapping Purdue's nine-game winning streak.
Purdue basketball turning point vs. UCLA
Purdue used a 13-3 run in the first half to go up 12 points, seemingly seizing control, leading 27-15. Instead, UCLA responded with an 11-0 run over a span of 3:04 where the Boilermakers went 0-for-6.
Donovan Dent's halftime buzzer beater tied the score at 32, momentum that carried into the second half. Dent scored the first bucket after halftime, giving UCLA its first lead since 3-2.
Purdue recovered and went up 67-61 after Trey Kaufman-Renn's putback with 1:56 to go.
That was Purdue's last points as UCLA got a response 3 from Dent, then scored five points, including Bilodeau's game-winner, off two straight Braden Smith turnovers.
How many assists did Braden Smith have vs. UCLA?
Braden Smith had four assists vs. UCLA. He has 931 career assists. Smith needs 145 assists to tie former Duke guard Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076.
3 Purdue basketball stars vs. UCLA
CJ Cox: The Boilermakers could get nothing going offensively to start the second half. It was Cox to the rescue. After scoring five early points, Cox went quiet on the offensive end. Cox had 11 of Purdue's first 17 second-half points.
Gicarri Harris: Harris continues to generate energy and defense off the bench. He had two steals but also scored seven points to add with two assists and a block.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: After struggling mightily three nights earlier at UCLA, the senior forward had a bounce-back performance. Kaufman-Renn had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball falls at UCLA on late 3-pointer
Category: General Sports
