UCLA’s Dent, Bilodeau Explain What Went Wrong in Loss

It was a tough pill to swallow play for the UCLA Bruins, as they fell to the #25 Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 74-61 to suffer their first loss of Big Ten play despite a valiant comeback effort.

The Bruins trailed by as much as 24, and trailed 40-22 at halftime before roaring back to make it a four-point game with just 3:13 remaining. However, their comeback attempt proved to be futile, leading to their first loss in Big Ten play.

Donovan Dent shined despite the loss, scoring 25 points on 12-19 shooting from the floor. However, he and Tyler Bilodeau were the only Bruins to score in double-digits in the loss.

Jan 3, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) goes to the basket as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Bilodeau kept it blunt with the media after the loss, citing the team’s sluggish start leading to them playing catch-up for the majority of the contest, while also taking responsibility for his own poor performance.

“I’m not going to make excuses, we gotta’ be ready to play, myself included. I think defensively we just had some mishaps. We’ve got to keep the ball in front,” Bilodeau said. “Offensively, turnovers. I can’t have five turnovers in the first half. So, I got to be better there.”

“Stuff like that is going to happen, we just have to keep getting it done on the defensive end,” he added. “And, just keep trusting our offense.”

Dent also added that the team’s ramped-up intensity on defense in the second half allowed the Bruins to claw their way back into the game.

“Played our style of defense,” Dent said. “Kind of stopped letting them do whatever they want. We’ve got to be smarter towards the end of the stretch with the dumb fouls.”

“We’re all older, and we can’t keep doing silly fouls there at the end of the game,” he added.

Head coach Mick Cronin also commended the Bruins’ second-half effort while also noting the lack of intensity brought in the first-half being what led to their large deficit.

“We just really lacked the toughness to execute on both ends. Our toughness changed, and we went from 24 down to four down,” Cronin said.

Dec 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts on the sidelines in the second half against the UC Riverside Highlanders at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After their first loss in Big Ten play, the Bruins will look to right the ship against Wisconsin on Jan. 6. After a hot start to the season, the Bruins will look to prove that they can be serious Big Ten contenders by stringing together some quality wins in conference play.

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