UCLA’s Donovan Dent records first triple-double ever in Big Ten Tournament in Bruins’ win
CHICAGO — UCLA guard Donovan Dent recorded the first triple-double in Big Ten event historical past in a 72-59 win in opposition to Rutgers on Thursday night time.
Dent, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who transferred from New Mexico final summer season, scored 12 factors, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 12 assists for the Bruins (22-10), who performed Michigan State in a Big Ten event quarterfinal on Friday night time.
“I didn’t know until the under-four media timeout, and one of my teammates was like you’ve got to get one more rebound,” Dent mentioned. “I was hunting for it there at the end for sure.”
Dent, an honorable point out all-Big Ten performer, entered the sport taking pictures 13.6 factors and a couple of.6 rebounds per recreation and ranked third amongst Big Ten gamers in assists per recreation (7.5) and fourth in steals (1.6). But it was his rebounding effort in opposition to Rutgers that made his efficiency stand out.
At halftime, UCLA coach Mick Cronin pressed his guards to assault the glass. Dent obliged with 4 offensive rebounds in the second half, all of which got here throughout a 14-2 run earlier than the first half timeout.
“We just flipped our mindset in the second half, crashing with the offensive rebounds,” Dent mentioned.
Beginning with the Bruins’ 95-94 time beyond regulation win in opposition to Illinois, Dent has elevated his recreation, in addition to these round him. In a six-game stretch, he has 65 assists to simply 4 turnovers with no less than 12 assists in three video games. UCLA is 5-1 over that stretch.
Last 12 months at New Mexico, Dent had 108 turnovers. This 12 months, he has reduce that quantity to 60.
“I told him when I recruited him, there’s only one person in charge,” Cronin mentioned. “It’s not a democracy, and you are going to handle the ball, and also you’re gifted sufficient.
“Changing habits is (hard), but I give him all the credit. He signed on for it. I don’t think he understood what it was going to entail, but he’s gotten so much better along the way.”
Dent’s triple-double is the fifth in UCLA historical past and the first since 2013.
