The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
So, coach Mick Cronin switched things up.
In the squad’s first game since falling to then-No. 5 Arizona on Friday, No. 19 UCLA men’s basketball (4-1) walked over Sacramento State (3-3) 79-48 Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins’ starting five featured four different starters from the Intuit Dome affair against Arizona, with junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. remaining as the sole returner.
Despite the Bruins boasting a seemingly healthy lineup, their usual starting backcourt of seniors Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent, along with senior forward Tyler Bilodeau and junior forward/center Xavier Booker, all began the game on the Bruins’ pine.
And the guard duo of fifth-year Jamar Brown and sophomore Trent Perry illustrated why they deserved to be in the rotation. The tandem combined for 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and a 60% shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
In Friday’s ranked showdown against Arizona, Perry and Brown combined for just three points and 25 minutes of play, with the former taking the sole shot attempt between the two guards.
And in the three games prior, Perry had yet to play less than 20 minutes, logging a career-high 37 minutes against West Georgia on Nov. 10, where he dropped 17 points alongside nine assists and two turnovers.
Similarly, Brown had yet to play less than 10 minutes before logging just seven against Arizona, and played more than 20 minutes, including a season-high 30 against Eastern Washington on Nov. 3, in two of his other three appearances.
But after a contest where the Wildcats’ bench outscored the Bruins’ by 25 points, Cronin emphasized that he needed greater contributions from his depth.
“We did some things well, and we got to get a lot better and more production off our bench. Their bench destroyed ours,” Cronin said after UCLA’s 69-65 loss to Arizona on Friday.
So the UCLA head honcho did just that. Brown, Perry and redshirt senior forward/center Steven Jamerson II combined for 56 minutes against Sacramento State after combining for just 34 Friday.
Cronin also criticized his team’s collective defensive effort, particularly in the dying embers of Friday night’s loss.
And his entourage responded with a stifling performance Tuesday night, holding the Hornets to 24% from the field and 13% from beyond the arc.
While Sacramento State’s leading scorer, forward Jeremiah Cherry, exited the game in the first half with a lower body injury, the second- and third-leading scorers – guards Mikey Williams and Prophet Johnson, who both average 16.4 points per game this season entering the contest – combined for just 22 points on 6-for-25 shooting at Pauley Pavilion.
Dent – the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year and AP All-American honorable mention from last season – produced a second consecutive underwhelming performance, notching just five points through 24 minutes played – his lowest offensive output since March 16, 2024.
But while Dent may not have impacted the scoreboard directly, he found his teammates to light up the UCLA statsheet, racking up seven assists to zero turnovers and illustrating what Dailey said to him after a shooting slump against Arizona.
“I just told him to lead, and it doesn’t have to be offensively all the time,” Dailey said. “He can lead by just talking and defensively. Some nights, you aren’t going to be on offense, and that’s okay as long as your effort and mind stay focused on defense – then you will be able to get out of that slump.”
Dailey continued to show his consistency on the hardwood, logging a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, utilizing his pure strength and athleticism to create open looks underneath the basket. Clark also showed improved efficiency, garnering nine points on a 75% shooting percentage.
In the previous two contests, Clark went 6-for-19 from the field, racking up just 17 points. But while Clark blossomed, Bilodeau flatlined, fouling out partway through the second half and finishing with just six points.