Bruins Handle Penn State for Seven-Straight Win

The UCLA Bruins continue to play impressive basketball as they cruised to their seven-straight win on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Penn State Nittany Lions at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins are now tied for third place in the Big Ten.

Feb 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) heads down court after a 3-point basket against the Michigan State Spartans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (18-6, 9-4) made it seven-straight victories on Saturday afternoon as they took down the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-11, 3-10) by a score of 78-54 at Pauley Pavilion. There is no hotter team in the Big Ten right now, and the Bruins are continuing to play their best basketball.

After a fast start from the Nittany Lions that gave them an early 3-point lead, the Bruins came surging back to take a 13-point lead into halftime. It would be a lead that they would never lose as they coasted through the second half, imposing their will on both ends of the floor.

The Bruins were led by senior guard Kobe Johnson, putting together the best game of his Bruin career. The former USC Trojan posted a season-high 15 points and earned his first double-double of the season with 13 rebounds. He added a team-high six assists and four steals in the win.

As a whole, the Bruins offense was exceptional. They shot a strong 47% from the field and 11-15 from the free-throw line. Junior guard Skyy Clark came through with a double-digit night, pouring in 14 points while sophomore guard Sebastian Mack came off the bench for 14 points himself.

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau was the third player to score in double figures, notching 11 points on 5-11 shooting. He has now scored 10 or more points in 18 of the Bruins' 24 contests this season.

Defensively, UCLA absolutely suffocated the Nittany Lions scoring attack. It forced 18 turnovers and scored 24 points off of giveaways. It held Penn State to just 38% from the field, limiting the Nittany Lions' extra chances as the Bruins turned the ball over just four times.

This group has found themselves tied for third in the Big Ten standings alongside the No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers (19-5, 9-4). Expect the Bruins to be a Top-25 team come Monday morning when the next AP rankings are released.

UCLA will head back out East for its next two games, starting with the No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini (15-8, 7-6) on Tuesday night. The Bruins are 0-3 against Big Ten teams this season when they leave the Pacific Time Zone. Their only three conference road wins have come against former Pac-12 teams.

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