WATCH: Everything Tyler Bilodeau Said After UCLA’s Win Over No. 9 Michigan State

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – In a physical, back-and-forth battle against No. 9 Michigan State, Bilodeau provided the Bruins with steady scoring and key defensive plays, helping UCLA secure a 63-61 win at Pauley Pavilion.

The junior finished with 13 points and four rebounds, making timely buckets when UCLA needed them most. The Bruins led for over 22 minutes but had to fend off a late push from Michigan State, which tied the game in the final minute.

Junior guard Skyy Clark led UCLA with 14 points, while Bilodeau contributed inside and from beyond the arc, going 4-for-10 from the field and 1-for-3 from deep. UCLA also took advantage of Michigan State’s struggle to take care of the ball, converting 19 points off of turnovers.

With the win, UCLA improves to 17-6 overall and 8-4 in Big Ten play, strengthening its position in the conference standings.

Bilodeau spoke to the media after the game, reflecting on his performance and the Bruins’ ability to close out a tough opponent.

You can watch below:

Below is a partial transcript from Coach Mick Cronin’s opening statement of his postgame presser:

Cronin: “I knew we were gonna get to have them coming off their first Big Ten loss. They came out ready, I knew Coach [Tom] Izzo would have them ready. But the story of the game is one stat: points off turnovers. We only have three turnovers. I told the guys, we get to the NCAA Tournament, we play every game with three turnovers, we'll cut the nets down.It's hard to do, playing Michigan State. Coach [Bob] Huggins taught me a long time ago, when I had a full head of hair, my suits were cheap, and I was working for him, that real programs win when you don’t make shots. We missed layups, we missed free throws, we couldn’t make a shot in the second half to save our life, but we won anyway.So, that’s what I try to build into these guys, and I try to build it as a character thing for when their life doesn’t go the way they want it to go, that they’re still going to be successful, they’ll still make it through the tough times. When shots go in, your life’s easy, it’s all great. When things are tough is when you find out. Michigan State made it tough on us.[Aday] Mara missed some chippies, [Lazar] Stefanovic stepped up, hit a few big ones for us, and I decided at the time to go to Eric [Dailey Jr.] on the last play. I thought he hadn’t had his best night, but I got a lot of confidence in him.”

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