Illinois Vs Ucla: Dent’s OT layup caps historic UCLA comeback, 95-94
In a dramatic illinois vs ucla showdown on February 21, 2026, Donovan Dent’s coast-to-coast layup as time expired in overtime delivered a 95-94 win for UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, capping a 23-point comeback that is the largest in school history.
Illinois built a 33-10 cushion on a 20-0 run
The Fighting Illini surged early, turning a 13-10 edge into a 33-10 lead just past the midway point of the first half on a 20-0 run during which Ben Humrichous hit four of his five 3-pointers. Illinois closed the opening half up 50-43 after UCLA closed the period on an 8-2 run. The Illini were credited in the boxscore as (22-6, 13-4 B1G).
Illinois Vs Ucla: Dent finishes with 14 points, 15 assists
UCLA, playing before 10, 036 at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial, staged the rally. Donovan Dent, a senior from Riverside, Calif., finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 assists with no turnovers. The Bruins (18-9, 10-6 Big Ten) erased a 23-point deficit — trailing 33-10 — and closed the first half by outscoring Illinois 33-17 to get back into the game.
Wagler breaks Illinois freshman scoring record
Keaton Wagler paced Illinois with 19 points, and his performance included a milestone: entering the game with 490 points, he pushed past the 494 mark set by Corey Bradford in 1998-99 and tied last year by Kasparas Jakucionis with a layup at the 16: 38 mark of the second half. Wagler also led Illinois with eight rebounds (six offensive) and six assists, and scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime.
Final sequence — 4. 9 seconds from Wagler’s putback to Dent’s buzzer-beater
The overtime featured a flurry of decisive plays. With 16 seconds left, Trent Perry sank two free throws to put UCLA ahead 93-92. Illinois missed a late 3 from Humrichous, but Wagler grabbed the offensive rebound and converted a putback to give Illinois a 94-93 lead with 4. 9 seconds left. On the ensuing inbound from Brandon Williams, Dent raced upcourt, weaved through the Illini defense and delivered an up-and-under layup off the glass as the buzzer sounded.
Supporting performances and game flow
Five Illini reached double figures: Tomislav Ivisic had 16 points and six rebounds, Ben Humrichous finished with 15 on a career-best five 3-pointers, Kylan Boswell added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Zvonimir Ivisic scored 11. For UCLA, Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, Tyler Bilodeau added 18 points and was 2-of-5 from long range after entering the game as the conference’s top 3-point shooter by percentage, Trent Perry had 17, and Xavier Booker scored 16 (2-of-3 from three).
The game featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties. Illinois’ Wagler sent the contest to overtime with free throws with 19 seconds remaining in regulation. Dent had a 3-point attempt in regulation with the game tied 86-86 that missed; the decisive moment instead came in overtime.
What this means next for Illinois
Illinois has now lost in overtime in each of the team’s last three losses to Big Ten foes over the last two weeks, and the Orange and Blue’s four Big Ten losses have come by a combined nine points. The Illini return home to a sold-out State Farm Center on Friday to host #1 Michigan (25-2, 15-1 B1G) with tipoff set for 7 p. m. CT on FOX.
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