Illinois Vs Ucla — A 4.9-Second Turnaround That Reshaped Both Teams' Week
Why this matters now: The illinois vs ucla matchup ended on a single play that immediately altered postseason posture and momentum — a coast-to-coast buzzer layup that erased a frantic comeback and left Illinois with another razor-thin conference defeat. For players, coaches and ticket-holders, the final 4. 9 seconds rewrote a night that included record-breaking scoring, historic comeback math and a sold-out follow-up at the Illini's arena.
Immediate impact: who feels the swing first
Here’s the part that matters: Illinois loses by one on a buzzer-beater and the margin piles onto a recent pattern — the Illini have now fallen in overtime in each of their last three losses to Big Ten opponents over the past two weeks, and their four conference losses total a combined nine points. That tightness changes how the team, fanbase and league table will evaluate close-game execution going forward.
Illinois Vs Ucla — How the finish unfolded
At Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, the final was 95-94 after overtime. Illinois led by as many as 23 in the first half, and five Illini finished in double figures. Keaton Wagler poured in a team-high 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds (six offensive) and handed out six assists; he scored 16 of his 19 in the second half and overtime. Wagler entered the game with 490 points and pushed past the 494 mark that had been the freshman season standard, a mark set by Corey Bradford in 1998-99 and tied last year by Kasparas Jakucionis.
In overtime, Wagler grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a putback with just under five seconds left to give Illinois a 94-93 lead. On the next play, UCLA inbounded to Donovan Dent, who took the ball upcourt and converted an up-and-under layup as time expired after a 4. 9-second dash following the inbounds pass from Brandon Williams. Dent finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 assists with no turnovers; his 15 assists were one shy of a single-game mark of 16 set by Earl Watson on March 18, 2000, in an NCAA Tournament game.
Statline snapshot
- Final score: UCLA 95, Illinois 94 (OT)
- Attendance: 10, 036 at Pauley Pavilion
- Key Illinois: Keaton Wagler 19 points, 8 rebounds (6 offensive), 6 assists; Tomislav Ivisic 16 points, 6 rebounds; Ben Humrichous 15 points (career-best five 3-pointers); Kylan Boswell 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists; Zvonimir Ivisic 11 points
- Key UCLA: Donovan Dent 14 points, 15 assists; Eric Dailey Jr. 20 points (8-of-13); Tyler Bilodeau 18 points (2-of-5 3s; entered game as the conference's top 3-point shooter by percentage); Trent Perry 17 points; Xavier Booker 16 points (2-of-3 3s)
Momentum, runs and records
Illinois built an early 33-10 advantage after a stretch that included a 20-0 run fueled by four of Humrichous' five 3-pointers. UCLA trimmed the lead to 50-43 by halftime and then mounted a second-half recovery highlighted by a 13-2 run that tied the game at 56-56 with 14: 45 remaining. The game featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties overall. UCLA’s comeback from 23 down is recorded as the largest in school history; the Bruins also had rallied from a 19-point deficit in a home game on February 23, 2019, in earlier program history. Dent missed a 3-point try in regulation with the score tied at 86-86 before delivering the overtime winner.
What’s next for both teams
Illinois is now 22-6 overall and 13-4 in Big Ten play; UCLA is 18-9 and 10-6 in conference. Illinois returns 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 a national network. UCLA picked up its third win in five games and snapped a two-game skid.
It’s easy to overlook, but the Illini’s four conference losses amount to single-digit margins collectively — a reminder that a handful of plays could have reversed the result.
The real question now is how both teams adjust: Illinois to its string of narrow defeats and UCLA to closing games after a historic comeback. The answers will start to show in preparation and execution over the next week.
