The crowd couldn’t believe what they had just seen.
Donovan Dent’s crossover left a helpless defender watching from behind as he raced to the basket, letting fans unleash an audible gasp of admiration even before the UCLA point guard completed the play with a driving layup.
Poor Noah Mussen and everyone who tried to stop Dent.
They were outmatched by the ability to finish and the grit of a player who had shown little through the first month of the season, hardly resembling the star the Bruins thought they were getting.
On Wednesday night’s discovery inside Pauley Pavilion, Dent finally looked like someone who could lead a team.
He did just that, as the transfer from New Mexico helped the Bruins hold off Arizona State in the process Victory 90-77 Which had his handprints all over it.
There were layups, floaters, rare 3-pointers and an old-fashioned three-point play on a jumper he made while being fouled and falling along the baseline. Dent revealed a full array of moves on his way to scoring 20 points while making nine of 17 shots.
The dent replacement came in great as well. After the Sun Devils made things uncomfortably close midway through the second half, getting to within five points, UCLA backup guard Trent Perry made sure they wouldn’t get any closer.
Perry soared for a 3-pointer and then after teammate Brandon Williams made a energizing block at the rim, leading to a fast break, Perry found Skye Clark for a 3-pointer that extended the Bruins’ advantage to double digits.
Clark scored 18 points thanks to six three-pointers, and Tyler Bilodeau added 18 points. UCLA (8-3) It bounces back from its loss to Gonzaga by holding off a longtime Pac-12 rival. Guard Anthony Johnson led Arizona State (9-3) with 20 points.
Dent’s highlight came on a transition pass to an open Clark, who got up for a 3-pointer that gave UCLA a 12-point lead. Perhaps the only blemish on his night was that Dent recorded just four assists to go with his four turnovers.
It was a team performance for the Bruins. UCLA coach Mick Cronin inserted backup center Stephen Jamerson into his lineup to start the second half and Jamerson quickly rewarded him by chasing down an offensive rebound in the corner and adding a brace.
But the big story was the story of redemption.
It gained momentum late in the first half when Dent went up without hesitation for a 3-pointer. It was only Dent’s second 3-pointer this season and his first since the season opener after a string of 12 straight fouls dropped his accuracy from beyond the arc to 7.7%.
It was a staggering decline for someone who made 40.9% of his 3-pointers last season at New Mexico. His second success of the season from long range increased his accuracy to 14.3%, still ugly but at least no longer in single digits.
Perhaps the most pleasing thing about Dent’s performance in the first half was his high level of confidence. He repeatedly beat his defender to driving layups, and his aggressiveness matched his speed as he racked up 13 points on six-for-eight shooting by midway through the game.