Illini Extend Win Streak With Win Over Minnesota

The win was the team's fifth consecutive win over the Golden Gophers, and the Illini have turned their conference record around and now sit above .500 in conference play for the first time this season.

Illinois outscored Minnesota by 15 points and held the Golden Gophers to 27.6 percent and just eight field goals in the second half in the win.

The Illini commanded the paint, out-rebounding Minnesota, 50-29, which included 14 offensive rebounds and a season-high 36 defensive rebounds. Illinois took advantage by scoring 14 second-chance points and seven fast-break points, while the Illini scored 54 points in the paint. 

Matthew Mayer registered his first double-double of the season with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mayer also made two blocks and one steal while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 50 percent on 3-point attempts.

Dain Dainja scored 11 points, his second straight double-digit scoring night of the year. Dainja grabbed four rebounds and made two assists and one block, while he converted five of his six field-goal attempts.

Terrence Shannon Jr. recorded 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while Jayden Epps tallied 10 points, two rebounds, two blocks, and one assist off the bench.

Sencire Harris put together one of his best games in an Illinois uniform with seven points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Fellow freshman Ty Rodgers scored a career-high eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in his 22 minutes of action, his most in a Big Ten game this season.

Dainja got going early, knocking down his first two shots of the night for a quick four points. Just over one minute later, a Sencire Harris 3-pointer, his first since Dec. 29, and two Matthew Mayer layups jump-started a 7-0 Illini run to put the visitors ahead by four less than five minutes into the contest.

With the two sides trading baskets for a majority of the frame, Illinois led by as many as seven but ultimately led by three, 35-32, at halftime.

Mayer led all scorers with 10 points at the break, including two of the Illini's three 3-pointers, while he also made a team-high two blocks in his 17 minutes of first-half action.

Dainja and Jayden Epps both shot at least 50% and registered six points in the opening frame.

The Illini started to find their rhythm early in the second half, using a 12-0 scoring run to take a double-digit lead less than five minutes into the frame. Four different players registered points during that stretch, while a high-intensity defense set the Illini up for success on the other end.

A 13-3 run, which included seven points from Mayer, helped Illinois extend its lead to 20 points with under eight minutes to play.

With their lead cut to 19 points, the Illini used a 6-0 lead over 67 seconds to push their advantage to a game-high 25 points with just over four minutes to play.

Illinois returns to action on Thursday night at State Farm Center against Indiana (11-6, 2-4), with tipoff set for 7 p.m. CT.