Illinois Hands Indiana 74-57 Defeat, SIUE's Taylor Out For Season

Frazier led the Illini scoring attack with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while dishing out four assists. While Cockburn had a slow start to the game, he finished the game with 17 points, eight rebound and two steals. His defensive effort against Jackson-Davis in the second half led to just 29% shooting from the Hoosiers in the final 20 minutes. 

Two of the top defenses in the Big Ten went to work in the first half. Despite having two of the best bigs in the country in one place, neither team was dominant in the paint.

Alfonso Plummer scored first with a pair of free throws on the opening possession, then Xavier Johnson and Kofi Cockburn traded shots. Race Thompson got to work early with a jumper, then Indiana took the early lead off a fast break three-pointer from Parker Stewart.

Da'Monte WIlliams fired back with a stepback three at the top of the key before Thompson and Plummer each split a pair of free throws. However, just four minutes into the game, Indiana's star Trayce Jackson-Davis committed his second foul and spent the rest of the half on the bench.

While Jackson-Davis' absence looked to be a positive for Cockburn and the Illini, Thompson and Michael Durr allowed just one more second-half basket for Cockburn. The Hoosiers made a pair of shots before Luke Goode drained a three after nearly three minutes without an Illinois field goal.

Indiana capitalized on a couple more free throw opportunities before hotting back-to-back shots to go up 19-11. After a two-minute scoring drought from the Illini, Andre Curbelo checked in and split free throws then made a driving layup. While the Hoosiers made another layup, Plummer helped chip away at the Indiana lead with a trey.

The Hoosiers made four more free throws, but Trent Frazier stepped up with a pair of shots from the line, then a jumper. Cockburn got the Illini within one point on just his second make of the day. The team traded free throws before Frazier made a stepback jumper to tie it up at 28-28. After Johnson hit a couple shots to take back the lead, Frazier drained a three to get back within one point.

In the final minutes of the half, Plummer was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all his free throws, but layups from Johnson and Thompson allowed Indiana to keep the lead. The Illini headed into halftime trailing 36-34. While Jackson-Davis did not score in the first half, Cockburn had just five points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Both offenses came out of the break firing as Cockburn and Thompson traded layups before Frazier hit another jumper. Jackson-Davis made his first shot of the game in the paint, but Frazier came back with a layup to tie the game at 40-40. After Thompson made a pair of free throws, he connected with Jackson-Davis on a fast break layup to go up four points.

After Plummer drove across the lane for a layup, the Illini went the next two and a half minutes without a score. Indiana scored just once during the drought, allowing the Illini to take back the momentum.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Jacob Grandison changed the direction of the game. Illinois took its first lead since early in the game and went on a 21-5 run over the next nine minutes.

It was Frazier and Cockburn who propelled the takeover as they traded shots during a four-minute scoring drought from Indiana to start a 10-0 run. While Johnson interrupted the run with a three-pointer, Cockburn came back with an and-1 as Jackson-Davis recorded his third personal foul.

The Illini defense continued to apply pressure to the Hoosiers as they missed three of their last four shot attempts. Frazier kept working on the offensive end, sinking his second deep ball of the game, to take a nine-point lead. Indiana had a dunk, but another trey from Frazier then a Cockburn layup kept Illinois out in front.

Illinois' defense kept hounding the Hoosiers, forcing four more missed shots as Cockburn split free throws and made a jump hook. After a couple baskets from Indiana, Williams Plummer sealed the game with consecutive three-pointers.

The road trip will continue in Indiana for the Illini as they head to No. 4 Purdue on Tuesday night. 

POSTGAME NOTES

• The 17-point win was the Illini's largest margin of victory ever at IU's Assembly Hall, which opened 50 years ago.

• It was Illinois' largest margin of victory at Indiana since the No. 8 Illini beat the No. 12 Hoosiers by 24 (96-72) on January 14, 1956.

• Following last year's overtime win in Bloomington, the Illini have now won back-to-back games at Indiana for the first time since 2009 and 2010.

• Illinois held Indiana to season lows in points (57), shooting percentage (.357), and field goals made (20).

• Illinois remained in first place in the Big Ten with a record of 10-2.

• Illinois' 10-2 Big Ten record is its best after 12 games since 2005 (12-0).

• During its current four-game winning streak, Illinois' defense has held opponents to an average of 58.8 points on combined 36.2% shooting, including 21.7% from three.

• Illinois' defense has held Big Ten stars to poor shooting games in each of the Illini's last two outings:

• Trent Frazier led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, his fourth 20-point game of the season and 18th of his career. 

• It was Frazier's second-highest scoring total in Big Ten play this season and most points since his season-high 29 at Nebraska on Jan. 11

• Frazier's 72.7% (8-11) from the field was his best shooting percentage of his career.

• National Player of the Year candidate Kofi Cockburn had another strong game, totaling 17 points with a game-high 8 rebounds and 2 steals.

• Frazier and Cockburn dominated the second half, combining to outscore Indiana (26-21) and make more shots than the Hoosiers (9-8). Frazier had 14 points in the second half and Cockburn added 12. 

• Da'Monte Williams had another great all-around game, tallying 6 points, 7 rebounds and career-high 3 blocked shots.

• Illinois has now won eight of its last nine Big Ten road games, and 13 of its last 15.

• Illinois is the winningest team over the last three Big Ten seasons with a 42-13 record (.764), including Big Ten Tournament games.

• Illinois is 24-3 (.889) in its last 27 games versus Big Ten opponents.

SIUE's Taylor To Miss Remainder Of Season

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.  -  SIUE men's basketball freshman guard Ray'Sean Taylor will miss the remainder of the 2022 season after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Taylor sustained the injury in the second half of SIUE's game at Southeast Missouri on January 22, 2022, undergoing immediate testing and a subsequent MRI which revealed the ligament tear. Taylor sat out the 2020-21 season with the same injury, which he sustained in August 2020.
"We were heartbroken for Ray'Sean upon hearing the news," said SIUE Head Coach Brian Barone. "Ray'Sean is an integral part of our program, and we will come together and support him to overcome this setback. He has shown his grit and toughness by already attacking his rehab and recovery process, and I know he will do so again.  He is such a special young man with great basketball talent."

Taylor, a native of Collinsville, Illinois, saw his first taste of collegiate action this season and quickly established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball. Taylor led the Cougars with 17.6 points per game through 21 games played, shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. Taylor scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games played, and registered 20-plus points in nine contests. Taylor's points per game mark leads the Ohio Valley Conference and sits at 79th-best in all of Division I. Taylor also ranks in the top 10 in the OVC in three-point field goal attempts, double-doubles, field goal percentage, minutes per game, steals per game, three-point field goals made per game, total three-point field goals made, total field goals made, total steals, and total points.

"Ray'Sean was having both an OVC Freshman of the Year and OVC All-League caliber season," continued Barone. "This injury does not change that fact. He will continue to fill an important leadership role on this team during this season, and in seasons to come."

Taylor will be out indefinitely and his return to action will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation."I am really disappointed that I won't be able to compete with my team for the rest of this season," added Taylor. "I plan on being there for my teammates as they continue to battle during OVC play. Just like my teammates will continue to work on the court, I will continue to work off the court while completing my rehab. With the support of my family, teammates, and coaches I plan on returning stronger than ever."

The Cougars will return to action tomorrow night at 8 p.m., when SIUE welcomes Southeast Missouri to begin a three-game homestand at First Community Arena.