How Donovan Dent Saved UCLA’s Season Yet Again

Every time the UCLA Bruins appear dead in the water, they resurrect themselves on the heels of Donovan Dent.

It first took place against #4 Purdue, where Dent — who struggled mightily to begin the season — broke out in a big way by scoring 23 points, and dishing out 13 assists to deliver a huge upset win over the Boilermakers, a big time resume booster for March.

That win helped save the Bruins from slipping into the abyss, keeping them well within the picture for an NCAA Tournament bid. Weeks later, Dent came to the rescue once again against #10 Illinois.

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

Entering the game, the vibes couldn’t have been any worse for UCLA. The Bruins were coming off of back-to-back blowout losses to now-#1 Michigan, and Michigan State, the latter of which included an embarrassing sequence in which head coach Mick Cronin hastily ejected Steven Jamerson from the game, then followed it up by snapping at a reporter in the postgame press conference.

Michigan State's Carson Cooper, right, and UCLA's Steven Jamerson, left, stare each other down after Jamerson's flagrant foul on Cooper during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dent saves UCLA’s season once again

Against Illinois, the Bruins — who once trailed by 23 — found themselves in an overtime battle with the Fighting Illini. Down by 1 with 4.9 seconds left, Dent took the inbounds pass, sprinted the full length of the court, and scored the game-winning layup as the clock expired to seal a thrilling comeback victory for the Bruins.

With the season in danger of falling completely off the rails, the Bruins picked up another massive win that is sure to help carry their resume into Selection Sunday next month. Naturally, UCLA’s most prized offseason acquisition was at the forefront of both of those wins.

After the game, Dent re-lived his emphatic game-winning layup to help resurrect the vibes in the Bruins’ locker room after what they’ve gone through this past week.

Dent’s immediate reaction

“That was exactly what we drew up,” Dent said. “Coach trusted me to get to the rim within 5 seconds and that’s what I did. I mean, it's a tough position for any defender with a guy coming at you full speed, and I change direction like that. So once I changed direction, I saw that he was behind me.”

Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA guard Donovan Dent (2) hangs in the air and scores the winning basket over Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) in overtime at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Dent also added that hitting the game-winning shot felt “awesome, really good.”

“I wasn’t making a layup to save my life,” Dent said. “I think I missed like five in a row. For me to get that one to drop is amazing. Everyone was just storming the court, celebrating, it was a great feeling.”

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