This post was updated Dec. 21 at 3:25 p.m.
Some coaches would rest their starters when the opposing team has lost nine games in a row.
But not Mick Cronin.
No. 18 UCLA men’s basketball (10-1) utilized all of its talent in its 111-75 victory over Prairie View A&M (1-10) Tuesday night in Pauley Pavilion. The win was led by junior guard Dylan Andrews’ season-high 19 points, which came off 8-for-12 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from deep.
UCLA’s offense showed marked improvements from its last game against Arizona, scoring 111 points compared to a measly 57 Saturday. The team’s total was its highest-scoring game since 2017, when it defeated Cal State LA 111-80 at home in an exhibition game.
“Everyone was productive tonight with the minutes they got,” said sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. “It shows that everybody is ready to step up when their name is called – and everyone was, for the most part, ready.”
Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau got the ball rolling for the Bruins with a jumper in the paint less than two minutes into the game. UCLA’s defense held off Prairie View A&M for the next two minutes, until forward Marcel Bryant put the Panthers on the board.

Bilodeau led UCLA through the first half, recording 15 points on six attempts. His team-leading first-half figures was largely thanks to flawless shooting from the charity stripe, where he went 7-for-7 through 20 minutes.
Sophomore center Aday Mara made his presence known less than two minutes after entering Tuesday night’s action, leveraging his 7-foot-3 frame to reject a layup from Bryant. Despite scoring only nine points throughout the game, Mara notched 10 rebounds that aided UCLA’s top-ranked scoring defense.
Prairie View A&M put up an effort in the first half by recording 36 points and forcing UCLA to five turnovers. Guard Jordan Tillmon set the tone for the Panthers through the first frame, notching 13 points and going 3-for-3 from deep.
“Every day is a fight. You have to come ready every day,” Cronin said. “You’re never going to get them (the opposing team) where you want to show up, and they’re going to do it without you.”
Andrews notched UCLA’s final two buckets in the first half to send his team to the locker room on a 17-point lead. Precision and accuracy – manifested in 4-for-5 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from 3 – propelled Andrews through the first 20 minutes of the game.
The Bruins held the Panthers to just eight total points during the first 14 minutes of the second half, balancing their defense while displaying their best offensive performance of the season.
“We trained to play really hard on the defensive end,” Cronin said. “We try to train. We train in practice, and we’re accountable.”
Freshman guard Trent Perry made his impact late, with all of his scoring coming in the second half. Less than four minutes in, Perry nailed a 3-pointer off a forced Panther turnover. He followed up his triple with a slam dunk that put the Bruins ahead by 31 points.
With just over 10 minutes left in the second half, UCLA was already 84 points deep and on track to record its highest scoring game of the year. Junior forward William Kyle III began the Bruins’ quest for a season high by nailing a slam dunk following senior guard Lazar Stefanovic’s rebound that put the Bruins back in possession of the ball.
Perry’s game-ending free throw sent him to a career-high scoring mark – though the win felt like it was secured long before his bucket.
“All of the little things matter, especially when you’re going into big games,” Andrews said. “Making free throws, … limiting turnovers, limiting fast break points … Those could be the points you needed to win that game.”
With their highest-scoring game in over eight years under their belt, the Bruins’ next opponent will be one of their toughest yet.
UCLA will take a flight to New York City to face North Carolina – the Bruins’ first time facing the Tar Heels since a Sweet 16 loss in 2022.