Rutgers Men’s Basketball Falls to UCLA in Big Ten Game

The Scarlet Knights had a rough second half. Rutgers missed too many field goals and had costly turnovers.

Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) blocks a shot by Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Emmanuel Ogbole (21) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Rutgers men’s basketball team had a tough second half as they fell to the UCLA Bruins, 98-66, in a Big Ten game on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. 

The Scarlet Knights fall to 9-14 (2-10 in Big Ten), and the Bruins improve to 16-7 (8-4 in Big Ten). 

In the first half, it was competitive with both teams hitting well from the perimeter. Rutgers made mistakes, turning the ball over. Rutgers committed three turnovers in the first three minutes of the game. The Bruins scored many points off turnovers.

Anytime the Scarlet Knights tried to shrink the lead and build momentum, the Bruins would answer with a three. The game started slipping away from the Scarlet Knights in the final minutes of the first half. The Bruins went into halftime leading 52-40.

Once the second half began, it was a bloodbath. Rutgers had no chance of coming back. The Bruinsnembarrassed them and kept making shot after shot, while the Scarlet Knights kept missing field goals and turning the ball over again. 

The Bruins outscored the Scarlet Knights 46 to 26 in the second half. The Bruins outrebounded the Scarlet Knights 33 to 27, shot 55 percent from the field, and made 57 percent from threes. They also scored more points in the paint than Rutgers, 32-22. 

Rutgers made seven three pointers (31 percent), missed nine free throws, shot 43 percent from the field, and finished with nine turnovers. Rutgers had three players in double figures.

Guard Kaden Powers scored six points in the first six minutes of the first half. He finished the game leading the team with 18 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes. Tariq Francis scored 12 points in 24 minutes. Lino Mark added 10 points. 

UCLA had five players in double figures. Forward Xavier Brooks led the Bruins and scored a career-high of 24 points. He made 10 of 11 field goals. Tyler Bilodeau scored 19 points and seven boards. Donovan Dent added a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. Eric Dailey Jr scored 17 points. Trent Perry added 10 points. 

The Scarlet Knights have lost six straight games. The team is not playing fantastic basketball and is entirely out of sync. Rutgers needs more playmakers and scoring from its role players. Rutgers thrives when five or more players score in double figures and dominate the glass. This is what they’re missing if they want to get back into the winning column. 

Rutgers' next game will be against the No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday.