LOS ANGELES — The storyline could have been about Trent Perry, the hero, or the UCLA men’s basketball team cutting a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes to zero.

Instead, self-inflicted mistakes masked the Bruins’ poise. Their inability to execute in the margins proved the difference in a 98-97, double-overtime loss to Indiana.

“Execution wins games,” head coach Mick Cronin said after the first defeat inside Pauley Pavilion this season. “They didn’t listen to our scouting report for the game, and that’s why you lose.”

After UCLA (15-7, 7-4 Big Ten) lost a review with 1.5 seconds left in the second overtime period, Indiana (15-7, 6-5) inbounded the ball under the basket. Point guard Donovan Dent was late to switch a screen and fouled Indiana’s Trent Sisley, who made one free throw to seal the game.

“We showed that play on film 10 times in the last two days,” Cronin said about Indiana’s inbound action.

Despite that preparation, UCLA failed to defend the play. That lack of scouting-report adherence defined Saturday’s loss straight through the decisive moment and carried into the postgame news conference as Perry answered a question about the inbound gaffe: “Things happen.”

Perry, who led the Bruins with 25 points, praised the Bruins’ fight. It certainly wasn’t present in the minute details that separated an exciting win from a crushing, one-point loss.

“Everybody thinks you win and lose in this game because of players,” Cronin said. “There’s only a few teams that got way better players. The rest of these games are won by execution.”

UCLA had numerous mindless moments, but a few greatly impacted the outcome.

Tyler Bilodeau was whistled for his fifth foul with 4:25 left in the second overtime, jockeying with Lamar Wilkerson away from the ball.

With the Bruins focusing their defense on sharpshooters Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries, they lost guard Nick Dorn constantly. The junior started his second game with senior Tayton Conerway out. The Bruins seemingly thought Dorn was still on the bench.

He feasted on late rotations, erupting for 21 of his season-high 26 points in the second half. The Bruins continued to disrespect his offense despite his constant reminders. He made his fifth 3-point shot to give Indiana a 71-61 lead with 1:50 left in regulation.

“He hit some pretty big shots,” Perry said of Dorn. “We got to talk a lot better. We can’t lose shooters like that.”

The Bruins went without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch late in the second half, but scored 15 points in the final 1:50. They increased the pace with a full-court press and forced a pair of turnovers.

Eric Dailey Jr. stole Wilkerson’s pass, turning it into a layup that cut the margin to four with 30 seconds left. Indiana’s Reed Bailey shot free throws on consecutive possessions. He missed the front end of a one-and-one, and the Bruins capitalized.

Without a timeout, they played out the final possession. Dent raced up the court, kicked to Perry, who dribbled into a 3-pointer, and turned to the crowd, celebrating with a flex and a roar.

Perry delighted fans with more basketball, but UCLA couldn’t replicate his composure in the extra periods.

“We deserved to lose,” Cronin said.

The sophomore was the Bruins’ best offensive player on Saturday, but couldn’t escape the blame. Wilkerson treated him like a traffic cone, blowing by and bullying him for baskets. He scored 10 points across the extra frames and finished with 24 points.

In the first overtime, Wilkerson beat Perry to put Indiana ahead. Dent, who scored a season-high 24 points, restored UCLA’s advantage with a double-clutch layup before Hoosiers forward Sam Alexis extended the game another five minutes.

In the second overtime, Perry hit a corner 3 to give UCLA a three-point lead. One minute later, Wilkerson returned the favor, scoring against Perry to put Indiana ahead. Dailey Jr. tickled in a hook-shot, tying the game with 12 seconds before the Bruins fell asleep in the final sequence.

“When we lose, buddy, I’m not like a lot of the people in life,” Cronin said, “I see no bright spots.”

Cronin harped on the low points, but Saturday’s game can contend with UCLA’s win over Purdue on Jan. 20 as one of the most exhilarating games in the 2025-26 college basketball season. The Bruins were half of that equation. They played suffocating perimeter defense, holding Indiana to eight points in the first 10 minutes.

They shot 30-of-34 (88%) from the free throw line. They held DeVries to nine points on 2-of-8 from the field. They erased a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes. Perry stamped his sophomore breakout with a memorable shot.

It will all be forgotten.