Illinois Vs Ucla: illinois vs ucla ends with Donovan Dent's OT buzzer-beater, 95-94

In a dramatic night at Pauley Pavilion on February 21, 2026, illinois vs ucla ended when Donovan Dent raced the length of the court and scored a buzzer-beating layup in overtime to give UCLA a 95-94 victory. The play capped a 23-point comeback — the largest in UCLA history — and came after Keaton Wagler set a new Illinois freshman season scoring record.

Illinois Vs Ucla — Donovan Dent's coast-to-coast finish and stat line

Donovan Dent took the inbounds pass from Brandon Williams and, with 4. 9 seconds on the clock, raced up the floor for an up-and-under layup off the glass as time expired in overtime to win the game. The senior from Riverside, Calif., finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 assists with no turnovers in front of 10, 036 fans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Dent had a chance in regulation — a 3-point attempt with the score tied 86-86 — that did not fall, and his 15 assists were one shy of the UCLA single-game record of 16 set by Earl Watson on March 18, 2000.

UCLA erased a 23-point hole to complete largest comeback in school history

The Bruins trailed 33-10 early and were down by 23 points with 9: 25 to play in the opening half, then trailed 50-43 at halftime. UCLA closed the first half by outscoring Illinois 33-17 to get back into the game and, overall, erased the 23-point deficit to secure the win. The comeback gave UCLA its third win in its last five games and snapped a two-game losing skid; the team's record moved to 18-9, 10-6 Big Ten.

Keaton Wagler's record night and late heroics for Illinois

Keaton Wagler led Illinois with 19 points, breaking the program freshman season scoring mark when he pushed past 494 with a layup at the 16: 38 mark of the second half; he had entered the game with 490 points. Wagler added a game-high eight rebounds — six offensive — and a team-leading six assists. 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 before Dent's answering layup.

Balanced Illini scoring and the swing of the first half

Five Illinois players finished in double figures. Tomislav Ivisic recorded 16 points and six rebounds, Ben Humrichous added 15 points on a career-best five 3-pointers, Kylan Boswell posted 13 points with six rebounds and five assists, and Zvonimir Ivisic had 11 points. Four of Humrichous' five triples came during a 20-0 Illinois run that turned a 13-10 margin into a 33-10 advantage just past the midway point of the first half. UCLA chipped away and closed the half on an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 50-43.

Late regulation, overtime sequence and other UCLA contributors

The game featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties. In regulation the score was tied at 86-86 before overtime; in the extra period, Trent Perry knocked down a pair of free throws to give UCLA a 93-92 lead with 16 seconds left. Illinois had a chance to retake the lead by a 3-pointer from Humrichous that missed, and Wagler's putback put Illinois ahead 94-93 with 4. 9 seconds remaining. After Dent's game-winner, the final was 95-94.

UCLA got scoring from several players: 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 scored 17, and Xavier Booker finished with 16 points and connected on 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

Standings ripple, recent trends and Illinois' narrow losses

Illinois fell to 22-6, 13-4 Big Ten, and the program has now lost each of its last three conference defeats in overtime over the past two weeks. The Orange and Blue's four Big Ten losses this season have come by a combined nine points. Illinois is scheduled to 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. The illinois vs ucla result underscored how tightly contested the conference standings remain and how small margins decided this matchup.