Donovan Dent Joins UCLA Royalty After Latest Performance

Dent had 13 assists against Purdue earlier this week

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3), guard Trent Perry (0), guard Donovan Dent (2) and forward Xavier Booker (1) celebrate after a 3-point basket by forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) in the final seconds of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA guard Donovan Dent broke out of his slump in a big way earlier this week, helping the Bruins towards their biggest win of the season by far.

The Bruins were able to knock off #4 Purdue by a score of 69-67 thanks to the heroics of Dent. The New Mexico transfer guard scored 23 points and dished out 13 assists in the win. Dent’s final assist was to Tyler Bilodeau, who drilled a game-winning jumper in the final seconds to give UCLA one of its best wins of the season, and in recent memory as well. 

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) drives past Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

An all-time night

Dent’s performance puts him near the top amongst all-time UCLA performances. His 13 assists are the most by a Bruin in a single game since Tyger Campbell threw 14 assists on Feb. 27, 2020 against Arizona State, placing Dent in the same category as some of the best Bruins in recent memory. Campbell played for the Bruins from 2019-2023, and was named All-PAC-12 three times in his career. 

As for Dent, he’s had a hard time replicating Campbell’s success at UCLA, but his most recent breakout game could be a sign of things to come down the road. Dent averaged over 20 points per game for New Mexico last season before transferring to Mick Cronin’s program as one of the top transfer portal targets in the country. 

Mar 23, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Tyger Campbell (10) drives to the basket against Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Hunter Sallis (5) during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Sorely needed

Perhaps no one needed the performance more than Dent. On the season, he’s averaging 12.9 points, and 6.8 assists per game while shooting career-lows from the field (42 percent), and from three-point territory (17 percent). The 5-star transfer has had a hard time adjusting to the pace of the Big Ten so far, and it’s reflected in his bottomed-out stats. 

After the game, Dent provided a comment regarding the need to play like how he did versus Purdue more often.  

• “That’s how I should be playing, I’ve been in a slump for a while. My team still believes in me, coach Cronin challenged me so bad this week, and it was what I really needed. I think I responded pretty well,” Dent said after his performance.

The Bruins as a whole have struggled a bit after entering the season with lofty expectations. Dent’s turnaround could be exactly what the Bruins need to get back toward the top of the Big Ten, and to be a serious contender to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. 

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