With 4.9 seconds left, trailing by a point in overtime, UCLA needed a Tyus Edney.
On a night he missed 10 shots — including the final one of regulation — the Bruins point guard made a potentially season-saving play Saturday night against No. 10 Illinois to complete the biggest comeback in UCLA history.
Dent’s acrobatic coast-to-coast layup at the buzzer capped an epic comeback from a 23-point deficit and reminded many of the heroics of Edney during the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
“Is Tyus or coach (Jim) Harrick here?” UCLA coach Mick Cronin asked as soon as he entered the media room inside Pauley Pavilion after his team’s pulsating 95–94 victory.
The play went exactly as Cronin had drawn it up during a timeout, the coach having seen Dent execute similar moves several times while playing for New Mexico.
“Obviously, in that situation,” Cronin said, “him flying at the rim is great.”
After taking an inbounds pass in the backcourt, Dent took two dribbles before using a screen from Tyler Bilodeau at midcourt to free himself from a defender in pursuit. Accelerating toward the basket, Dent split two more defenders near the free-throw line before meeting 7-foot-2 center Zvonimir Ivišić at the rim.
That’s when Dent was at his crafty best, twisting around the big man to bank in a shot.
“I kind of jumped before him,” said Dent, who finished with an astounding stat line of 14 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers. “So I got him in the air, and then once I got him in the air, I kind of just went up and under and made the layup.”
Dent strutted toward the sideline, extending his arms in triumph, as his teammates mobbed him in celebration and fans stormed the court.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
