It was watching the coach – and the team – on the brink.
Can UCLA support Mick Cronin after he ejects one of his players from the game? Or could the Bruins show their displeasure with their hard-hitting coach by giving a little effort in a game they desperately needed to win?
With a big comeback and a coast-to-coast lineup that was shades of Tyus Edney with an added clock tick, UCLA provided a strong response Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion.
Donovan Dent’s layup in overtime lifted the Bruins to a potentially season-saving 95-94 victory over No. 10 Illinois, which sent fans into the court as officials went to review the play.
They quickly decided the layup was good after Dent took an inbounds layup with 4.9 seconds left — one-tenth of a second longer than Edney’s famous version in the 1995 NCAA championship — and split two defenders near the free throw line before hitting another in the rim with a bankable scoop layup.
It was a last-ditch save for UCLA (18-9 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) and Dent after a box failure by Illinois guard Keaton Wagler led to an easy putback with 4.9 seconds left. Dent had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but missed a 3-pointer.
UCLA had been trailing by 23 points in the first half and appeared to be on its way to the second half.
There were boos for Cronin during the pregame introductions, though it was hard to tell whether they came from UCLA fans or his fellow Illinoisans who made up about half the crowd.
In his first game since being ejected by his coach for a foul, UCLA reserve center Steven Jamerson II barely played, going scoreless in two minutes.
What does it mean?
This was a win UCLA needed for two reasons.
First, the Bruins needed to show that they haven’t given up on Cronin in order to quell growing fan discontent with the coach.
Second, another Quad 1 win was a must for a team with little NCAA competition. UCLA had just two of those entering Saturday and remained on the bubble in all tournament projections.
A place to change
Trailing by 11 early in the second half, UCLA went on a 13-2 run that ended with Eric Dailey Jr. dunk for the first lead of the game.
The push was sparked by the defense as the Illini missed nine of 10 field goals at one point.
The MVP
Sitting out with an ankle injury he picked up in the second half, Dent played a big role in his team’s revival.
Dent posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 assists while committing zero turnovers in addition to winning shots.
Next
The Bruins faced struggling USC on Tuesday night at home in the first crosstown rivalry game of the season. The Trojans have lost three straight, including a 71-70 comeback against Oregon on Saturday where they blew a six-point lead in the final minute.
