LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Bilodeau hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining, and UCLA rallied to edge No. 4 Purdue 69-67 on Tuesday night, snapping the Boilermakers’ nine-game winning streak in their first visit to Pauley Pavilion in 26 years.
C.J. Cox missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer and Xavier Booker grabbed the defensive rebound as time expired. Fans stormed the court and jumped up and down in celebration on a night when the Bruins honored John Wooden, the Indiana native and Purdue alumnus who coached them to a record 10 national championships.
Donovan Dent, who assisted on the winning basket, had 23 points and 13 assists to lead the Bruins (13-6, 5-3 Big Ten). Bilodeau finished with 14, and Eric Dailey Jr. added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Cox led the Boilermakers (17-2, 7-1) with 16 points and Braden Smith scored 12. Their first loss in league play kept them from taking sole possession of first place over idle Nebraska.
Tied at halftime, neither team led by more than six points in the second half.
Smith hit a 3-pointer and Trey Kaufman-Renn scored to keep Purdue ahead 67-61.
But the Bruins scored the game’s final seven points. Dent made a 3-pointer and Dailey scored on a layup off Trent Perry’s steal before Bilodeau’s game-winner.
Purdue blew a 12-point lead in the first half, when the Bruins closed with a 17-5 run — including 11 in a row — to tie it 32-all at the break. Dent had eight points in the spurt while UCLA’s defense forced turnovers and kept the Boilermakers scoreless for over 3 1/2 minutes.
It was Purdue’s first loss since Dec. 6 against Iowa State.
Up next
Purdue: Hosts Illinois on Saturday.
UCLA: Hosts Northwestern on Saturday.
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