February 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Chrysler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Image Donovan Dent finished with 25 points and seven assists, Eric Dailey Jr. added 19 points and eight rebounds and UCLA cruised to an 89-68 victory over host and Los Angeles crosstown rival Southern California on Saturday.
The Bruins (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten Conference) broke a 21-21 tie midway through the first half to take an 18-3 lead and held a double-digit point advantage the rest of the game. UCLA dominated almost every step of the way, posting a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint and holding the Trojans to 9 of 17 (53%) to 7 of 24 (29%) from 3-point range.
Six Bruins connected on at least one 3-point attempt, including Eric Freeny, who went 2-of-3 from deep on the bench. Freeny also grabbed five rebounds and scored a career-high 10 points. He was one of four UCLA scorers to reach double figures.
Dent’s 25 points gave the Bruins 55 points in their second win of the season over USC, and Dailey surpassed 1,000 career points during a 19-point night. Tyler Bilodeau rounded out the quartet with 16 points and matched Dailey’s team-high eight rebounds.
Ezra Ausar grabbed 11 boards to go with 12 points for the Trojans (18-13, 7-13), but it wasn’t enough to offset UCLA’s 37-26 advantage on the glass.
Alijah Arenas scored 20 points for USC, Jacob Cofie added 10 points and Kam Woods had 11 assists in the Trojans’ seventh straight loss.
USC, which trailed by 17 points early in the second half, showed some life, pulling within 11 points when Woods found Arenas for a basket with 15:35 to play.
But the 11-point deficit was as close as the home team came the rest of the way. Participants who made the short bus ride from the UCLA campus to the USC Galen Center caught up with the Trojan crowd as the Bruins’ lead grew up to 25 points.
–Field level media
