Why Perry’s Proud of UCLA Despite Disappointing Loss

Just as UCLA’s men’s basketball team appeared to be turning a corner, they suffered a crushing loss at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers.

UCLA fell 98-97 in double overtime against the Hoosiers on Jan. 31 to snap their 14-game home winning streak. Despite facing a large deficit with only a few minutes left in regulation, the Bruins were able to storm back and take the game to overtime thanks to Trent Perry’s clutch game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they were unable to finish the job, and suffered their 7th loss of the season, and their 4th in Big Ten play. Despite the loss, UCLA has played its way back into the bubble conversation for the NCAA Tournament in recent weeks.

UCLA guard Trent Perry puts up a shot over Oregon guard Wei Lin as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins on Jan. 28, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Perry’s thoughts

After the game, Perry — who finished with 25 points — talked about the team’s effort despite losing in heartbreaking fashion against Indiana. Loss aside, Perry was proud of the team’s fight.

“At the end of the day, I’m just proud of how we fought,” Perry said. “We sent a good team to double overtime, and I'm glad we fought through that. Unfortunately, we were on the other end of the game and we lost. But, I’m proud of how we fought, and we came together. So, we’re going to carry on with this lesson, and move on to the next one.”

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Max Green (10) is defended by UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) as he drives to the basket in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Perry also added that the team’s ability to not let go of the rope late in games has vastly improved since earlier in the season

“From my point of view, I feel like earlier in the season we would’ve gone down and held our heads,” Perry said. “Even though sometimes in the second-half, offense wasn’t going our way, we came together. We had some big stops, we hit some big shots, I’m proud of our team for the way we fought tonight.”

Perry has continued to be a spark plug for the Bruins in light of Skyy Clark’s absence due to injury. His 25 points against Indiana marks his second game of 20 or more points this season, and he has scored in double-digits in seven of his last eight games.

Jan 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) looks on from the court prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Bruins will look to keep some of the momentum from their loss at Indiana, and apply it to the rest of their Big Ten schedule. Overall, the Bruins have still significantly improved since a bumpy start, and are still capable of making a deep run in this season’s NCAA Tournament given the talent on the roster.

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