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Dent, Perry lead way as UCLA holds off No. 8 Michigan State despite Bilodeau’s injury

CHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Dent had 23 points and 12 assists, Trent Perry added 22 points and UCLA held off No. 8 Michigan State 88-84 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night despite losing star Tyler Bilodeau to a leg injury.

Bilodeau had to be helped off the court late in the first half and spent the second on the sideline with his right knee wrapped. The Bruins led by 15 early in the second half and withstood several big pushes down the stretch to advance to a semifinal matchup with No. 18 Purdue, which beat No. 11 Nebraska 74-58.

They were clinging to an 82-80 lead when Brandon Williams scored on a fast-break layup to make it a four-point game with 25 seconds remaining. Carson Cooper made a layup for Michigan State with 12 seconds left. UCLA’s Trent Perry immediately answered with two free throws.

Jeremy Fears Jr. then drove for a layup to cut it to 86-84 with six seconds remaining. But Perry sealed the win with two free throws.

Bilodeau went down clutching his right knee when his leg buckled as he tried to defend Cooper in the post. The noncontact injury happened away from the ball with 3:33 remaining and the Bruins leading 35-23.

The team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Bilodeau made both his shots and had five points in 10 minutes.

Fears had 21 points and 13 assists for the Spartans (25-7). Cooper and Kur Teng scored 13 apiece.

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UCLA beat Purdue 69-67 on Jan. 20 at Pauley Pavilion when Bilodeau hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining.

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LSU has an agreement to sign recent NBA G League pro RJ Luis Jr., AP source says

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Recently re-hired LSU coach Will Wade is in the process of signing former professional player RJ Luis Jr., a person with knowledge of the move said Tuesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because LSU had not announced or acknowledged the move, which is expected to result in a petition to the NCAA to restore Luis' eligibility. Luis played three seasons in college — one at UMass and two at St. John's. He declared for the NBA draft in 2025 after being named the Big East player of the year. After going undrafted, the 6-foot-7 Luis signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and was traded to the Boston Celtics. However, Luis never appeared in a game in either the NBA or the G League, and that is expected to be element of his argument as to why the NCAA should allow him to suit up for Wade's Tigers.
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