Checking In on Trent Perry After Breakout Performance

UCLA was able to go on a short win streak in conference play, coming out with victories against both Maryland and Penn State.

In the latter the Bruins saw a new potential star breakout with an astonishing 30 points, three rebounds, and four assists by Trent Perry, which helped ease coach Mick Cronin's stress.

Trent Perry, UCLA — Jan 14, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) reacts after scoring a basket during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

In that game against the Nittany Lions Perry looked unstoppable and it seemed like UCLA has another opportunity to pair a star alongside Tyler Bilodeau for the long run because of his rampant offensive growth.

So how has Perry performed one game removed from his breakout performance, and what does it mean for the team going into their match against #4 ranked Purdue after losing to Ohio State?

How Trent Perry Has Performed: Points

With points being the biggest and most direct way to contribute to the team's victory, it was expected that Perry would keep up some form of high scoring, but that was not the case against his next opponent, Ohio State.

His production slipped from 30 points to not even being in the double digits, finishing the game with only seven points on 2-9 field goal shooting.

He did have 10 less free throws to work with as he was given 12 free throws in total against Penn State, in which he made all of them, compared to the two he had against the Buckeyes.

But the dip in production will have a few games to come back to his star level of play, as every player can have bouts of poor shooting, but he will need to bounce-back sooner rather than later.

How Trent Perry Has Performed: Assists

When Perry has not had the ball in his hands, he is actively making sure his teammates can get a good shot, something he actually improved upon after his breakout game.

He went from four assists to five assists, which is a very small change but in close games the difference could mean everything.

If he continues to improve, or even stay at the same level of assisting, paired with a bounce-back in shooting Perry will definitely have a good shot of becoming UCLA's much needed second star.

How Trent Perry Has Performed: Rebounds

In almost identical fashion to his assist game, Perry was able to improve his total rebounds by one across the game, improving from three against the Nittany Lions to four against the Buckeyes.

His game is good on rebounding the same as it is in assists, and everything will likely revolve around shooting going forward to see if he can continue being a breakout star or not.

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