Bruins Freshman Turns in Best Performance Yet

The UCLA Bruins are watching their true freshman guard Trent Perry thrive in the early stages of his career, posting a career-best game in a win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night.

Nov 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (1) dribbles the ball against Lehigh Mountain Hawks guard Cam Gillus (0) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (5-1) earned another crushing win at home on Friday night with an 80-47 win over Cal State Fullerton. True freshman guard Trent Perry had his best game in his young career, scoring 10 points, going 2-of-2 from 3-point range, and making the most of his limited minutes.

Perry got a majority of his playing time in the second half and was involved in a significant scoring run to widen the Bruins' lead into the high 20s. He played just 13 minutes, but was extremely impactful in his time on the court. He was asked how fun it was to be a part of the scoring run.

"It was pretty fun, just to go on a run with those guys," Perry said. "I mean, when I got on the floor, I just had to take advantage of the opportunity, even though minutes were limited today. At the end of the day, I just got to have fun and take advantage of the opportunity."

The defensive play was sensational for the Bruins as they forced 21 turnovers and recorded 16 steals. Although Perry did not record any turnover stats, his tenacious and physical defense was a factor that led to several turnovers from his teammates.

The first-year guard gave his thoughts on the team's progression early in the season and the number of new players that have come in and gradually meshed together into a complete defensive unit.

"[W]ith each game, we're just getting better and better," Perry said. "I mean, there's a bunch of new guys at the end of the day, so there's definitely going to be some struggles in the beginning. Just trying to figure each other out, but each game, each practice, we just keep getting better, keep building the bond and the chemistry."

For most of the game, there was no doubt the Bruins would win the contest. Head coach Mick Cronin wanted his team to focus on their weaknesses in the contest so that when they play tougher, nationally ranked teams, they will be better for it by improving those issues.

"He said a lot of things honestly," Perry said with a smile. "Ultimately, we're not we're not playing for now, we're playing for the future. We got a lot of good teams coming up. We got Arizona, Gonzaga, you name it. So we're not just playing for now, we're preparing for the future and today was a good test. We had to work on the rebounding, the five-man blockout, and we're just going to reevaluate, adjust, and continue from there."

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