STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — In the final minutes, Trent Perry absorbed a hard foul that sent him tumbling to the court. When he rose, a wide smile split his face as he walked toward the free-throw line.
It was impossible not to feel good about everything unfolding around him.
After a steady uptick, Perry increasing his production given the chance to take an injured teammate’s spot in the starting lineup, the UCLA sophomore guard reached new heights here on a rainy, chilly night.
Perry scored 22 of his career-high 30 points in the second half, shaking UCLA out of several moments of malaise as it pulled away for a 71-60 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.