This post was updated March 7 at 11:11 p.m.

A 3-6 away record going into the final regular season game could have been reason to worry after the Bruins played their final home game of the 2025-26 season Tuesday.

But the 30-minute drive across town was not far enough to shake the squad.

“I had a feeling we were going to win this game,” said redshirt freshman guard Eric Freeny. “As a group, we knew.”

UCLA (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten) bested USC (18-13, 7-13) 89-68 at the Trojans’ senior night celebration at the Galen Center on Saturday night. With the crosstown triumph, the Bruins clinched the sixth seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament.

“We’ve struggled a little bit on the road,” said senior forward Tyler Bilodeau. “So to get this win on the road was big for us. It gives us a lot of confidence, and we just have to keep working.”

The Trojans kicked things off with a dunk and a 3-pointer before the Bruins got on the board. 

But a 16-point first half from Bilodeau allowed UCLA to match USC’s hot start. The 6-foot-9 starter averaged a team-leading 18 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the regular season. Within the first 20 minutes, he shot 70% from the field and surpassed his rebounds average, grabbing seven boards in the first half.

Despite a hot first half, Bilodeau did not attempt a shot in the second frame.

“Somebody has to score,” said coach Mick Cronin. “Tyler’s going to get the chance to play in the NBA. He’s one of the best shooters in the country.”

In the final minutes of the first half, the Bruins had cemented a substantial double-digit lead with five-consecutive points from two layups and a free throw by Freeny.

Freeny, spurred by a behind-the-bench UCLA student section chanting his name, went 3-for-4 from the field and netted seven points to trail Bilodeau with the second-highest scoring tally in the first frame. He went on to put up two more field goals, as well as four rebounds.

“It’s nothing but hustling,” Freeny said. “Getting rebounds and playing hard is how we beat these teams.” 

The Bruins entered halftime with a 15-point lead that only grew until the final buzzer.

Despite losing its second-leading scorer, sixth-year senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara, USC steadily trailed behind UCLA throughout the first half of the second frame. Baker-Mazara, who left the team March 1 following a mid-game injury exit during USC’s 82-67 loss to No. 12 Nebraska, averaged 18.5 points per game this season, trailing guard Rodney Rice who led the team in scoring with 20.3 points per contest until he sustained a season-ending injury prior to conference play.

Senior guard Donovan Dent joined the scoring party early in the second half, surpassing Bilodeau in points with 11 minutes remaining, despite only notching six points in the first half. 

The 2025 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year shot 8-for-11 in the second half and helped swell the Bruins’ lead, which was as high as 25 points with 10 minutes remaining.

“We found something that was working off of the high pick and roll,” Cronin said. “If he can get in the lane, he’s as good as there is in college basketball.”

In the rivals’ earlier season matchup, Dent put up a season-high 30 points and hit a career-high five 3-pointers on six attempts. He led the squad in assists during both matchups, tying a season-high 15 assists at the Pauley Pavilion matchup and seven during the away leg.

“It’s really just coach (coach Mick Cronin) trusting the ball in my hand, my teammates getting open and me making the right read,” Dent said. “It’s very smooth to get assists when I have people shooting 40%. … It just makes my life easier.”

Free throws, however, did not add much to Dent’s 25-point game. The Riverside local has averaged a 63.9% free throw percentage – ranking seventh on the UCLA squad. He went 2-for-5 from the candy stripe Saturday night.

Junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. followed behind Dent with a second-half spurt of his own. He put up 19 points despite only having one on the board at the half, surpassing his 11-point scoring average.

Both squads will now head to the Big Ten tournament, which will span from March 11 to March 15 in Chicago, marking the start of the postseason campaign.