Life often revolves around embracing challenging paths.

But sometimes one must take the easy points in life.

Basketball players achieve this at the free-throw line.

UCLA men’s basketball (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten) shot 21-for-21 from the charity stripe against Penn State on Wednesday on the road – the first time the squad has notched a perfect free-throw percentage since shooting 10-for-10 from the line against Utah State in last year’s NCAA tournament. The squad will face Ohio State (11-5, 3-3), a group that ranks second in the Big Ten in free-throw percentage with a 78.7% clip, on Saturday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

“I got rid of the free-throw shooting coach, and I took over,” said coach Mick Cronin following the Bruins’ 71-60 victory against the Nittany Lions. “I’m going to tell you the key to making free throws. This is a real simple one: Have the right guys get fouled.”

Prior to Wednesday, the Bruins had three straight games in which they shot sub-70% from the free-throw line. They lost two of those games, and Cronin’s squad specifically struggled to drain free-throw shots in the latter frame of its battle against Wisconsin on Jan. 6, shooting 12-for-19 from the charity stripe in the second half.

Free-throw struggles also plagued the Westwood crew in its game against Iowa on Jan. 3. The Bruins shot just 40% on free-throw attempts in the first half, which helped Iowa mount an 18-point lead before the break.

UCLA did not eclipse an 80% free-throw clip in any of its five losses, and the team posted a season-low 56.5% against California – a squad that is currently riding a three-game conference losing streak – on Nov. 25.

Sophomore guard Trent Perry seemingly helped snap the trend for the Bruins on Wednesday, shooting 12-for-12 from the free-throw line en route to a career-high 30-point performance. The 12 points he scored from the charity stripe were just five fewer than his previous career-high total of 17.

“I’ve been a great free-throw shooter all of high school,” Perry said. “Even last year, I shot about 80-something percent from the free-throw line. This year started off a little rocky, but no matter what, just got to stay confident, putting the work in.”

UCLA has five players who are shooting an 80-plus percent clip from the line, two more than last season’s squad, and three of the Bruins’ four leading scorers – senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, senior guard Skyy Clark and Perry – are on that list.

That trio has helped Cronin’s crew jump from 74.1 points per game to 78.4 points per game, and Cronin noted that those three Bruins have each notched 30-point performances this season to spur the offense.

“Coaching offensive guys who have talent, you’ve got to empower them,” Cronin said. “You have to try to make sure that they know you want him to be aggressive as a head coach, and all I care about is you don’t turn it over.”

Ohio State has been more consistent at the charity stripe, as its free-throw percentage ranks four spots higher than UCLA’s in the Big Ten, but the squad has yet to eclipse a 90% clip this season.

Nevertheless, coach Jake Diebler’s team shot 80-plus percent from the free-throw line in five out of its last seven games.

The Buckeyes’ leading scorer – guard Bruce Thornton – averages 20.5 points per game, which ranks third in the conference, but also shoots 86.3% from the line along with a 50-plus percent field-goal clip and a 40-plus percent three-point clip.

Thornton and his supporting cast – forward Devin Royal and guard John Mobley Jr. – have a collective 83.6% free-throw clip, and each player boasts a 80-plus percentage.

Thornton, Royal and Mobley spearhead an offensive arsenal that has posted 83.1 points per game, good for the fifth most in the Big Ten.

The Saturday matchup may depend on who exploits the easy opportunities.