Illinois Falls To Georgetown, 88-80

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Freshman Ayo Dosunmu had 25 points but it wasn't enough as Illinois fell to Georgetown, 88-80, Tuesday night at State Farm Center.

James Akinjo had 19 points for the Hoyas, including a key 3-point play in the final minute, and seven assists, and Jamorko Pickett blocked a shot in the closing seconds for Georgetown (3-0)_.

Akinjo sank a floater in the lane with 39 seconds left and was fouled, making the free throw to extend Georgetown's lead to 84-80. Illinois nearly turned it over, called a timeout and then had back-to-back shots blocked by Jessie Govan and Pickett. Govan made two free throws at the other end and Jagan Mosely added two more on their next possession to seal it.

Andres Feliz had 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Fighting Illini. It was Illinois' last game at the State Farm Center until Nov. 25.

The game was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, an annual early-season series played between the Big Ten and Big East conferences, named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt.

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The Illini will travel to Hawaii on Thursday in preparation for the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Illinois will face No. 3 Gonzaga on Nov. 19.  

ILLINOIS POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

* Tuesday's game is just the sixth all-time meeting between Illinois and Georgetown. Illinois leads the series 4-2 after tonight's loss.

* Tonight's game was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, an early-season series played between the Big Ten and Big East conferences and named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt. This was Illinois' third appearance in the Gavitt Tipoff Games.

* Illinois is now 1-2 in the Gavitt Games. The Illini debut was a 60-59 loss at Providence on Nov. 18, 2015. Last season, the UI defeated DePaul at State Farm Center, 82-73 (Nov. 17, 2017).

* Illinois had 13 steals on the night and forced 22 Georgetown turnovers, scoring 21 points off forced turnovers.

* The Illini were without sophomore guard Trent Frazier, who missed the game while recovering from a concussion.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Freshman Ayo Dosunmu pourned in 25 points, including going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Through his first two college games, he is averaging 21.5 points per game.

• Giorgi Bezhanishvili reached double figures for the first time with 12 points in the contest. He also swiped his first career steal in the game.

• Sophomore Da'Monte Williams tied a career-high with four steals against Georgetown.

• With Frazier unable to play, junior college transfer guard Andres Feliz got his first Illini start and filled the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

• For the second consecutive game, five Illini scored in double-figures – freshman Ayo Dosunmu led the way with his season-best 25 points, while junior Andres Feliz and redshirt junior Kipper Nichols added 13 points. Freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili added his season-best 12 points. Sophomore Da'Monte Williams set a new season-best with 11 points, shooting three of four from the field and knocking down four of his five free-throw attempts.     

• Two Illini saw their first action for the Orange and Blue – graduate transfer Adonis De La Rosa (six minutes) and freshman Alan Griffin (10 minutes, 3 points) both made their Illinois debuts against the Hoyas.