Donovan Dent's OT layup caps historic rally in Illinois Vs Ucla, 95-94

In a game that swung wildly from a 23-point Illinois advantage to a last-second overtime loss, Illinois Vs Ucla ended 95-94 when Donovan Dent converted a coast-to-coast layup as the overtime buzzer sounded. The finish settled a record-setting comeback and left Illinois with its fourth Big Ten defeat by a combined nine points.

Illinois Vs Ucla: Final seconds and Dent's coast-to-coast heroics

With the score tied in overtime and 4. 9 seconds remaining after Keaton Wagler's offensive putback put Illinois up 94-93, UCLA inbounded to Brandon Williams. Dent took the pass, raced the length of the floor in 4. 9 seconds and delivered an up-and-under layup as time expired to give UCLA a 95-94 victory. Earlier in the extra period, Trent Perry had knocked down two free throws to put UCLA ahead 93-92 with 16 seconds left; Ben Humrichous then missed a potential tying 3, and Wagler's follow gave Illinois a short-lived lead before Dent's final play.

Donovan Dent's line and school history at Pauley Pavilion

Dent finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 assists while committing no turnovers. His assist total fell one shy of the UCLA single-game mark of 16 set by Earl Watson on March 18, 2000, in an NCAA Tournament game against Maryland. The play completed a comeback from a 23-point deficit — the largest in UCLA's recorded history — in front of 10, 036 fans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. UCLA entered the game 18-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play.

Keaton Wagler sets Illinois freshman scoring mark

Keaton Wagler broke Illinois' freshman season scoring record during the game. He entered with 490 points and pushed past the previous benchmark of 494 with a layup at the 16: 38 mark of the second half; that 494 mark had been set by Corey Bradford in 1998-99 and tied last year by Kasparas Jakucionis. Wagler finished with 19 points, a game-high eight rebounds (six offensive) and a team-leading six assists, converting 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime.

UCLA's comeback and Mick Cronin's reaction

Illinois led 33-10 just past the midway point of the first half after a 20-0 Illini run — four of Ben Humrichous' five 3-pointers came during that spurt. UCLA responded by outscoring Illinois 33-17 to close the half and trailed 50-43 at intermission. Head coach Mick Cronin said, "Great college basketball game, " and highlighted a turnaround in intensity and execution around halftime, praising players who played with pride and fought on both ends.

Contributions across both benches and game flow

Illinois featured five players in double figures: Wagler, Tomislav Ivisic (16 points, six rebounds), Ben Humrichous (15 points, five 3-pointers, 5-for-10 overall), Kylan Boswell (13 points, six rebounds, five assists) and Zvonimir Ivisic (11 points). Illinois hit a 20-0 run that transformed a 13-10 margin into a 33-10 advantage. UCLA's offensive balance included Eric Dailey Jr. with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, Tyler Bilodeau with 18 points (2-of-5 from long range) after entering the game as the conference's top 3-point shooter by percentage, Trent Perry with 17 points, and Xavier Booker with 16 points (2-of-3 from beyond the arc). The contest featured 13 lead changes and 14 ties, and Dent missed a 3-pointer in regulation when the game was tied at 86-86.

Implications for Illinois, scheduling notes and a reader advisory

Illinois fell to 22-6 overall and 13-4 in Big Ten play. The program has now dropped its last three overtime defeats to Big Ten opponents over the past two weeks, and its four conference losses have come by a combined nine points. Illinois will return home to a sold-out State Farm Center on Friday to face No. 1 Michigan, which stands 25-2 overall and 15-1 in the Big Ten; tipoff is set for 8 p. m. ET on FOX. The University asked readers to consider disabling ad-blocking software to improve content delivery.

What makes this notable is the convergence of individual milestones and dramatic team swings: a freshman record, a school-record comeback, a near-miss of a long-standing assist mark, and an overtime finish decided at the buzzer.