CHICAGO — Already missing its leading scorer, things deteriorated significantly for UCLA midway through the first half Saturday.
Point guard Donovan Dent, whose late-season revival had sparked his team’s turnaround, limped toward the locker room, followed by the team doctor.
What happened next was entirely unexpected.
Putting up a considerable fight with a hodgepodge of reserves, UCLA found itself tied with Purdue with less than four minutes left in its Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
Ultimately, the Bruins did not have enough manpower — let alone star power — to keep pace.
The sixth-seeded Bruins’ 73-66 loss to the seventh-seeded Boilermakers at the United Center allowed them to shift into recovery mode.
The hope is that UCLA can be back to full strength for its NCAA Tournament opener next week.
Dent tweaked something in his lower right leg and did not return after playing only 10 minutes, but the injury is not believed to be serious. He returned to the team bench in the final minute before halftime with a white sleeve over his right leg.
But in a sign of things to come, Dent did not warm up with his teammates before the second half.
There was also an encouraging status update on forward Tyler Bilodeau, who watched the game in a black sweatsuit. The star forward suffered only a mild right knee sprain against Michigan State on Friday, with no structural damage.
What it means
Playing its best basketball of the season, UCLA was hoping to continue its surge into March.
Winning a game of this magnitude — especially with Bilodeau and Dent sidelined — would have portended very promising things for the rest of the month.
Now UCLA must hope to quickly recalibrate if it can get its top two players back.
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Turning point
The Bruins pulled into a 62-62 tie after Trent Perry (15 points, nine assists) found a cutting Brandon Williams for a dunk with less than four minutes to play.
But Purdue’s Oscar Cluff countered with a tip-in, and a Perry turnover led to a breakaway layup by Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox. Cluff added another putback, and the Boilermakers were back up by six points with two minutes left.
MVP
It was a good thing the Bruins were accompanied by Dr. David McAllister, their head team physician and chief of sports medicine at UCLA.
The injuries to Bilodeau and Dent kept McAllister busy, and his presence gave the players immediate insight into the nature and severity of what they were dealing with.
Up next
UCLA will learn its NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins are widely expected to be a No. 7 or a No. 8 seed, according to most bracket projections.
