Illinois Vs Ucla — Dent's OT layup caps historic rally, Bruins top No. 10 Illinois 95-94
In the illinois vs ucla matchup on Feb. 21, 2026 at Pauley Pavilion, Donovan Dent finished a coast-to-coast overtime possession with a buzzer-beating layup to lift UCLA to a 95-94 victory over No. 10 Illinois — a finish that capped the Bruins' record comeback and denied Illinois after the Illini had led by as many as 23 points.
Illinois Vs Ucla — Dent's coast-to-coast finish
Donovan Dent took an inbounds pass from Brandon Williams and raced up the floor, weaving through the Illinois defense in 4. 9 seconds and converting an up-and-under / layup off the glass as time expired in overtime to give UCLA the 95-94 win before 10, 036 at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Dent, a senior from Riverside, Calif., finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 assists with no turnovers.
Illini lead evaporates after 33-10 first-half burst
Illinois built a 33-10 advantage just past the midway point of the first half after a 20-0 run that pushed a 13-10 lead to that margin. The Illini led by as many as 23 in the opening half, but UCLA closed the half on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 50-43 at intermission.
Wagler breaks freshman scoring mark, shines late
Keaton Wagler paced Illinois with 19 points, a game-high eight rebounds (six offensive) and a team-leading six assists. Wagler entered the game with 490 points and pushed past the freshman-season mark of 494 — a total 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. He scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime, and his offensive rebound and putback with just under five seconds left in overtime gave Illinois a 94-93 lead.
UCLA's depth and record comeback
UCLA rallied from a 23-point first-half deficit — down 33-10 — to complete the largest comeback in school history on record. The Bruins were down by 23 with 9: 25 to play in the opening half and trailed 50-43 at halftime, but closed the half by outscoring Illinois 33-17. UCLA improved to 18-9, 10-6 in Big Ten play, marking its third win in five games and snapping a two-game losing skid. The program compared the effort to a 19-point comeback at home against Oregon on Feb. 23, 2019.
Key contributors, lead changes and overtime sequence
The game featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties. Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic recorded 16 points and six rebounds, and Ben Humrichous added a career-best five 3-pointers for 15 points; Humrichous was 5-for-10 from the field and all made shots were from long range, with four of his five triples coming during the 20-0 Illinois run. Kylan Boswell posted 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Zvonimir Ivisic scored 11 for Illinois.
For UCLA, Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points while hitting 2 of 5 from long distance; Bilodeau had entered the game as the conference's top 3-point shooter by percentage. Trent Perry added 17 points and Xavier Booker finished with 16 points, connecting on 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Dent missed a 3-pointer in regulation with the score tied at 86-86, and in overtime Perry's two free throws with 16 seconds left put UCLA up 93-92 before Wagler's putback created a 94-93 Illinois lead with 4. 9 seconds remaining.
Overtime heartbreak for Illinois and narrow Big Ten margins
On the ensuing inbounds play, Dent took the pass from Brandon Williams and delivered the game-winner as the buzzer sounded. Illinois (22-6, 13-4 B1G) has now lost in overtime in each of the team's last three losses to Big Ten foes over the past two weeks, and the Illini's four Big Ten losses have come by a combined nine points.
UCLA's 23-point comeback is the largest in school history, and Dent's 15 assists were one shy of the UCLA single-game record of 16 set by Earl Watson in an NCAA Tournament game against Maryland on March 18, 2000. Head coach Mick Cronin praised his team's second-half intensity and singled out Eric Dailey Jr. 's leadership, saying the Bruins increased their execution and effort after halftime.
A site note within the recap asked readers to consider turning off ad blockers, stating that the use of software that blocks ads hinders the site's ability to serve content.
Next up, Illinois returns home to a sold-out State Farm Center on Friday to host No. 1 Michigan (25-2, 15-1 B1G); tipoff between the Fighting Illini and the Wolverines is set for 7 p. m. CT on FOX.
