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Illinois capitalizes on big nights from starting guards to defeat #20 Wisconsin

Illinois capitalizes on big nights from starting guards to defeat #20 Wisconsin

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois held off a late Badger rally to earn its first Big Ten victory of the season with an 86-80 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin at State Farm Center on Tuesday night.

The Fighting Illini recorded their second ranked triumph of the year, moving to 6-0 at home during the 2024-25 season.

Kasparas Jakucionis scored a game-high and career-most 24 points, his fourth consecutive outing with at least 20 points. Jakucionis shot 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 8 from distance and totaled six rebounds, five assists and one steal.

Tre White posted a season-best 23 points after putting up 14 points in the first half. Going 6-8 from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range and 9-10 from the free throw line, White finished the game with eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, and one block.

Kylan Boswell He scored the most points this season with 19 and collected six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Tomislav Ivisic scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his fourth straight game with double figures.

The Badgers scored the first four points of the game, but a 9-0 Illini run gave the hosts their first lead of the night. White’s 3-pointer began in this phase before a three from Boswell gave the hosts the lead for the first time. White’s layup at the 1 ended the run that spanned just over two minutes of play and gave the home team a 9-4 lead.

Wisconsin took the lead back and extended its lead to five, but a 12-4 run by the Orange-Blue put Illinois back in front. Boswell scored five points and Jakucionis sank his first three-pointer of the night in the period, giving the Illini a 28-25 lead with five minutes left in the first half.

After the visitors tied the game at 28, Jakucionis shot his second three-pointer to put the Illini back in the lead. Less than a minute later, Illinois began an 8-2 run, sparked by a 1-0 layup from White, who also capped the 90-second scoring stretch with his second three-pointer of the day.

The Illini went into halftime with a 39-35 lead, with White and Jakucionis both reaching double figures in the first 20 minutes.

Illinois’ lead grew to seven in the first minute of the second half, but a 12-4 run by the Badgers gave the visitors a 47-46 lead with 16:32 remaining.

However, the Orange and Blue found another quick answer. Boswell scored the next five points of the game, moving the score to double figures and putting the Illini back in the lead, beginning a 13-2 run for the hosts. Jakucionis scored the final five points of that stretch, including a third-down corner, to extend the team’s lead to 59-49 with 12:43 left.

The Badgers fought back with a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to 63-59, but three free throws from White pushed the Illini’s lead back to seven.

With Illinois’ lead down to 66-60, Jakucionis made his fourth three-pointer of the night but was also fouled, and his 4-point play pushed the hosts’ lead back to double digits, 70-60, with 6:08 to play play.

A 7-2 Wisconsin run cut the away team’s deficit in half, but dunks by Ivisic and White on consecutive possessions gave the Illini a 76-70 lead with 2:21 left in the game. On a 3-point attempt with 1:23 left, Jakucionis was fouled and made all three free throws to increase Illinois’ lead to 79-70.

The Badgers stormed back and cut the Illini’s lead to four with less than 30 seconds left, but the Illini made their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Illinois (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten) completes its two-game homestand Saturday night against No. 1 Tennessee at a sold-out State Farm Center for the program’s annual Stripe State Farm competition. The matchup between the Fighting Illini and the top-ranked Volunteers is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT on FOX.

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HIGHLIGHTS

AFTERMATH NOTES

Player notes:

  • Kasparas Jakucionis He scored a career-high 24 points with six rebounds and five assists.

    • Was his third game this season with at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists…leads all Big Ten freshmen.

      • There have only been five such games by Big Ten freshmen this season (Dylan Harper (Rutgers) and Derik Queen (Maryland) each have one such game).

    • He delivered his fourth consecutive 20-point performance.

      • Scored double-digit points in four straight games and seven games overall.
      • The score reached double figures with 1:54 remaining in the first half.
      • Extends his Illinois freshman record as the only rookie in program history with four consecutive 20-point games.

    • He joins Trae Young (January 3-13, 2018) as just the second NCAA Division I freshman in the last 10 seasons with a four-game stretch of 80+ points, 25+ rebounds, 20+ assists and 15+ 3s -Pointers made.
    • Has made multiple 3-pointers in each of the last four games.

      • Has made at least three 3-pointers in three of his last four games.

    • Has provided at least three assists in all eight games this season.

      • Has recorded at least five assists in six games.

    • Has grabbed at least six rebounds in five straight games and seven times this season.

  • Tre White scored a season-high 23 points and added eight rebounds and one assist.

    • First 20-point performance of the season.

      • Reached double-digit points with 2:22 left in the first half and was also the first player in the competition to reach that mark.
      • Has scored in double figures in three games this season.
      • Scored a game-high 14 points in the first half while going 5-for-6 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point line.

    • Third game this season with at least eight boards.

  • Kylan Boswell scored 19 points and totaled four rebounds and six assists.

    • Scored double-digit points for the fourth time this season and second time in his last three games.
    • Matched his season high with two 3-pointers.

      • Shot multiple 3-pointers for the third time this season.

    • Third game this season with at least six assists.

  • Tomislav Ivisic scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

    • Has recorded double-digit rebounds in four straight games and six total contests.

Team notes:

  • Brad Underwood He now has 150 wins in his Illini career, the fifth-most wins all-time in program history.

    • Now just one win is needed to reach fourth place.

  • The Illini have improved to 70-32 (.686) in Big Ten play since the 2019-20 season, the best record in the league during that span.
  • Illinois has now won nine straight against Wisconsin, the second-longest win streak in the series, trailing only a 16-game winning streak from 1981-89.

    • Underwood is now 9-4 against Wisconsin in his Illinois career.

  • Starting lineup: Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, Tomislav Ivisic, Kasparas Jakucionis, Tre White
  • Illinois outrebounded Wisconsin 40-29, with a 25-18 advantage on defense and a 15-11 advantage on offense.

    • Outscored the Badgers 22-10 in the first half, including a 9-1 advantage on the offensive glass.

      • Held Wisconsin to zero second-chance points in the first half, scoring nine points.

    • Converted his 15 o-boards into 16 second-chance points.
    • The Illini have won the battle on the boards in all nine games this season.

  • The Illini made 22 of 25 shots from the charity stripe (88%) while the Badgers made 14 of 21 (67%).

    • Third game this season with at least 20 points from the foul line.

  • Illinois has now made at least 10 3-pointers in seven games this season after hitting 10 tonight.

    • Has the most games of its kind in the Big Ten.

  • Illinois assisted 15 times on 27 field goals.

    • For the sixth time this season, he has assisted on over 50% of his field goals…in four straight contests.

  • There were 15,544 spectators in attendance tonight, marking the second sellout of the season.

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