STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — In the final minutes, Trent Perry absorbed a hard foul that sent him tumbling to the court. When he rose, a wide smile split his face as he walked toward the free throw line.
It was impossible not to feel good about everything unfolding around him.
After a steady uptick, Perry increasing his production given the chance to take an injured teammate’s spot in the starting lineup, the UCLA sophomore guard reached new heights here on a rainy, chilly night.
Playing with an elevated confidence that showed in every move he made, Perry scored 22 of his career-high 30 points in the second half Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, shaking his team out of an early malaise as the Bruins pulled away for a 71-60 victory over Penn State.
Each of Perry’s four three-pointers in the second half seemed to come at a pivotal moment, including one from the corner off an inbounds pass from Donovan Dent that increased the Bruins’ lead to five points. He later added a three-pointer at the end of the shot clock to push his team’s advantage into double digits.
“All the coaches have been just telling me, ‘Let it fly, be aggressive,’ ” said Perry, who made seven of 13 shots, four of eight three-pointers and all 12 free throws. “I mean, with Skyy [Clark] out, they’ve just been telling me, ‘You’re playing with Donny, he’s going to find you, be aggressive,’ and that’s what’s going on.”
Forward Tyler Bilodeau shook off an illness that had left him bedridden for the last three days to add 21 points on seven-for-13 shooting for the Bruins, who won despite shooting 42.6% to the Nittany Lions’ 43.5% in large part because they grabbed 11 more rebounds and made every free throw.
The big showings from Perry and Bilodeau were especially crucial given fellow starters Dent, Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker combined for just two points while missing all 10 shots. Dent could be excused after taking an early blow to the head that limited him to nine minutes in the first half while he was being evaluated.
UCLA (12-5 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) found its shooting touch after making one of its first 10 three-pointers, going on to bury nine of its next 14. The Bruins also made all 21 free throws.
The Bruins were playing their third consecutive game without Clark, who injured his hamstring during the second half of the team’s loss to Iowa earlier this month. UCLA coach Mick Cronin said he considered Clark doubtful for the game against Ohio State on Saturday while providing a glimmer of hope by acknowledging that Clark “looked good in shootaround.”
Penn State also found itself down a player late in the first half when leading scorer Freddie Dilione V suffered an apparent right ankle injury and departed, never to return. Guard Dominick Stewart led the Nittany Lions (9-8, 0-6) with 16 points.
There were some other positives for the Bruins on the way to a second consecutive victory. Backup center Steven Jamerson II continued to provide some badly needed hustle, grabbing eight rebounds — five on the offensive end — to go with his eight points. He also forced a traveling violation on Penn State’s Melih Tunca by staying in front of him amid multiple moves.
Another big boost came from redshirt freshman guard Eric Freeny. After missing the first six three-pointers of his career, Freeny confidently buried two shots from long range, grabbed three rebounds and played tight defense while earning 22 minutes off the bench.
But the biggest lift unquestionably came from Perry, his rise steadying a team still trying to find consistency.
After scoring 15 points in his first start in place of Clark and 16 in his second, Perry nearly matched those showings combined against the Nittany Lions. Along the way, he became the third Bruin to score at least 30 points in a game this season, joining Clark and Bilodeau.
“I got him to a point now where he’s not hesitating, you know, as an offensive player,” Cronin said, “and I think that matters and it’s huge for him and he’s just got to keep doing it.”
How did Cronin go about doing that?
“I yell at guys when they don’t shoot the ball — you end up with a turnover,” Cronin said. “Shoot it. Let it fly, man; it might go in. You’ve got to let it fly. You can’t be timid.”
Perry said he also got a confidence boost from his parents, Trent Perry II and Jessica Oliva, both of whom are coaches.
“They’ve been preaching, ‘Just stay confident, things are going to come your way, keep playing defense, keep being enthusiastic, and the offense will come,’ ” Perry said. “That’s what happened tonight.”
As he met with two reporters afterward, a smile rarely leaving his face, Perry said he couldn’t remember how he sustained a nasty cut on his right elbow.
“I have no idea,” he said, glancing at the bloodied gash. “That’s a great question.”
A few moments later, Dent walked past the group, his eyes locked on Perry, his arms raised in celebration of his teammate’s big night. Perry smiled once more, half a season still in front of him, his best possibly still to come.