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Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) drives to the basket against Pepperdine Waves forward Javon Cooley (23) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

UCLA's Trent Perry Reflects on Breakout Outing vs West Georgia

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 2:37 AM ET

The No. 15 UCLA Bruins (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) desperately needed a win like the one it got against West Georgia on Monday before facing some real competition this week.

Star point guard Donovan Dent was out in the Bruins' 83-62 win over the Wolves, and his absence was felt in the first half. UCLA struggled to get anything going offensively and took just a 37-32 lead into halftime, mixed with UWG cashing in from three.

In Dent's absence, veteran forward Tyler Bilodeau starred, finishing with 21 points and four rebounds on 7-of-12 from the field. Many wondered who would step up as UCLA's facilitator, but sophomore guard Trent Perry perfectly filled the role, posting 17 points, five rebounds and nine assists while only committing two turnovers.

Perry spoke to the media postgame and reflected on his stellar outing.

Trent Perry Postgame vs West Georgia

On mindset going into the game

“I didn’t really find out until five minutes into the game. But at the same time it’s just being mentally prepared for the game, whether I was coming off the bench or starting just like today. Just come out there and play basketball.”

On how he felt making his first start

“I mean, it felt good. At the end of the day my dad always told me just create an impact when you’re coming off the bench or starting. I had no other mindset, my mindset didn’t change.”

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On channeling emotion into positive production

“My dad always says play with enthusiasm. The game is supposed to be played for fun, like how it was when we were kids. There were tough times, when the team went on a run, at the end of the day that’s basketball. You have to turn into positive energy and pick it up.”

On how he's feeling mentally

“I feel great. I mean my teammates have a lot of trust in me. The coaches have a lot of trust in me and they trusted me just like tonight.”

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On playing 37 minutes compared to coming off the bench

“Some argue yeah, but at the same time you can only control your effort. Coach always tells me, don’t worry about offense that much, always control defense and rebounds. Whether it's nine minutes, 20 minutes, 37 minutes, that’s what I came out there to do and control the controllables.”

On feeling more comfortable without Donovan Dent

“I mean, I’m just playing basketball. I’m comfortable playing it.”

On the corrected defense in the second half

“We were losing shooters. Our deflection board was really low. We probably had, maybe around 15 to 20. We also just were letting them swing the ball around. Coach said comfortable teams make comfortable plays, and they were pretty comfortable in our home gym, especially in the first half. The second half, we just had a long talk and we had to turn up the energy.”

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On how his performance helps him moving forward

“At the end of the day, individually just stacking days. But each game there's a lot of lessons to be learned. Watch a lot of film, and just gotta carry it forward to Friday.”

On Dent's advice to him before the game

“He really just said ‘keep going’. Just kept giving me confidence throughout the entire game. Keep going, right now you’re the engine and keep your team moving, just be a leader.”

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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