It was a reckoning for a coach – and a team – on the brink.
Would UCLA rally behind Mick Cronin after he had thrown one of his players out of a game? Or would the Bruins signal their dissatisfaction for their beleaguered coach by giving minimal effort in a game they desperately needed to win?
With a massive comeback and a coast-to-coast layup that was shades of Tyus Edney with an additional tick of the clock, UCLA provided an emphatic answer Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion.
Donovan Dent’s layup at the buzzer in overtime lifted the Bruins to a potentially season-saving 95-94 victory over No. 10 Illinois, sending fans storming onto the court as officials went to review the play.
They quickly ruled that the layup was good after Dent had taken the inbounds pass with 4.9 seconds left – one tenth of a second longer than Edney’s famous version in the 1995 NCAA tournament – and split two defenders near the free-throw line before beating another at the rim with a scoop layup he banked in.
It was the ultimate redemption for UCLA (18-9 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) and Dent after a failed box-out on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler led to an easy putback with 4.9 seconds to go. Dent had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but missed a 3-pointer.
UCLA had trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half and appeared on the way to another blow.
There were boos for Cronin during pregame introductions, though it was hard to tell if they came from UCLA fans or their Illinois counterparts who made up nearly half of the crowd.
In his first game since getting tossed by his own coach for committing a hard foul, UCLA backup center Steven Jamerson II barely played, going scoreless in two minutes.
What does it mean?
This was a victory that UCLA needed to have for two reasons.
One, the Bruins needed to show they had not quit on Cronin to quell growing fan dissatisfaction with the coach.
Two, another Quad 1 victory was a must for a team with a flimsy NCAA tournament resume. UCLA had only two of those entering Saturday and remained on the bubble in every tournament projection.
Turning point
Trailing by 11 early in the second half, UCLA went on a 13-2 run ending in an Eric Dailey Jr. dunk to take its first lead of the game.
The push was sparked by defense as the Illini missed nine of 10 field goals at one point.
MVP
Gutting it out with an ankle injury he suffered in the second half, Dent played a huge part in sparking his team’s comeback.
Dent logged a double-double with 14 points and 15 assists while committing zero turnovers in addition to making the winning shot.
Up next
The Bruins face reeling USC on Tuesday night at home in the first crosstown rivalry game of the season. The Trojans have lost three consecutive games, including a 71-70 setback against Oregon on Saturday in which they lost a six-point lead in the final minute.
