University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
18-9,10-6Big Ten
Illinois
22-6,13-4Big Ten
Dent's Late Heroics Lead UCLA Past No. 10 Illinois, 95-94
February 21, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ Donovan Dent nailed a game-winning layup as time expired in overtime to lead the UCLA men's basketball past No. 10 Illinois, 95-94, before 10,036 in a Big Ten matchup inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Saturday.
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Dent's heroics on a coast-to-coast play with under 4.9 seconds left helped UCLA overcome a 23-point first-half deficit, as the Bruins had trailed the Fighting Illini by a 33-10 margin. The senior from Riverside, Calif., finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 assists with no turnovers.
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UCLA's 23-point comeback marked the largest in school history, on record. More recently, the Bruins had fought back from a 19-point hole in a home game against Oregon on Feb. 23, 2019, to secure a 90-83 win.
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The Bruins (18-9, 10-6 Big Ten) were down by 23 points with 9:25 to play in the opening half and by a 50-43 margin at halftime. After the 23-point deficit, UCLA closed the first half having outscored Illinois (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten) by a 33-17 tally to get back into the contest.
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Dent's 15 assists were one shy of the UCLA single-game record set Earl Watson (16 assists) in an NCAA Tournament contest against Maryland on March 18, 2000.
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Eric Dailey Jr. scored a team-leading 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and Tyler Bilodeau registered 18 points. Trent Perry had 17 points and Xavier Booker finished with 16 points, having connected on 2-of-3 attempts from 3-point distance.
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Illinois' Keaton Wagler totaled a team-high 19 points in Saturday's game, sinking 5 of 15 shots and going 8-for-8 at the free throw stripe. Tomislav Ivisic had 16 points for Illinois, and Ben Humrichous had 15 points. Humrichous was 5-for-10 from the field, all from 3-point territory.
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After Illinois overtook the Bruins through the early portion of the first half, Saturday's game featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties. The Bruins had an opportunity to win the game in regulation, with the scored knotted at 86-86, but a 3-point shot from Dent was unsuccessful.
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In the five-minute extra session, UCLA led the Fighting Illini by a 93-92 tally after Perry had knocked down a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left. Illinois had an opportunity to take the lead, by a 3-point from Humrichous clanked off the rim. Wagler soared to the hoop, secured the offensive rebound and dropped in the put-back to put Illinois ahead, 94-93, with 4.9 seconds left.
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Dent took the inbounds pass from Brandon Williams and raced up the court, delivering an up-and-under shot off the glass as the buzzer sounded to lead UCLA to victory. The Bruins' senior point guard was mobbed by his teammates and a gathering of UCLA students seated near the court.
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UCLA will return to action at home against crosstown rival USC on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Game time at Pauley Pavilion is scheduled for 8 p.m. (PT). The Bruins have four games remaining on their regular-season schedule โ two games at home (versus USC and Nebraska) and two games on the road (at Minnesota and USC).
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