Illinois 117-64 Chicago State (December 29, 2024) Game Recap

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kylan Boswell had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Tomislav Ivisic scored 23 points to lead No. 24 Illinois to a 117-64 victory over winless Chicago State on Sunday.

Boswell was just one assist shy of his first triple-double, and he did it with a pass that set up Keaton Kutcher’s 3-pointer with 1:47 left. It was the seventh triple-double in program history.

Dre Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 16 points, Kasparas Jakucionis had 14, Will Riley had 13 and Morez Johnson Jr. had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Illini (9-3).

Gabe Spinelli, son of first-year Chicago State coach Scott Spinelli, led the Cougars (0-15) with 20 points and Noble Crawford scored 15.

Illinois led 60-24 at halftime and extended its lead to as many as 58 points in the second half.

Takeaways

Illinois: This wasn’t much of a test for the Illini, who faced a winless team that doesn’t have a player averaging double figures and giving up 83 points per game. But it gave them a chance to shake off the rust from the week-long break after their Braggin’ Rights win over Missouri on Dec. 21.

Chicago State: It was another bad day for the Cougars, who were outrebounded 47-23, had 15 turnovers and shot 37%. On the positive side, it was 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

Key moment

A 14-point run spanning 2 1/2 minutes early in the first half extended Illinois’ 8-7 lead to 22-7 and gave the Illini the lopsided victory.

Key statistics

The Illini shoot a lot of threes. They entered the day averaging 32 per game, ranked No. 6 in the nation, and went 15 for 33.

Next

Illinois plays No. 9 Oregon on Thursday. Chicago State plays at Wagner on Friday.

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