Illinois Uses Balanced Scoring In Victory

All five Illini starters finished in double figures, giving Illinois the season sweep over the Golden Gophers.

Matthew Mayer registered a team-high 22 points in the win, his third consecutive double-digit scoring outing. Mayer knocked down both of his 3-pointers in the second half, while he also recorded seven rebounds, two assists, and a team-high two steals.

RJ Melendez notched the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 11 rebounds in his second straight start. Melendez also tallied his 10th block of the season with an emphatic swat in the first half.

Jayden Epps hit four 3-pointers, his highest mark in conference play this season, en route to a 17-point night. Epps also made one steal in the victory.

Coleman Hawkins registered 16 points and made three 3-pointers, his most since Jan. 7. Hawkins also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.

Dain Dainja caused problems in the paint all night, recording 12 points and four rebounds. 

The Illini hit 10 3-pointers in the win, matching the team's highest mark in conference play this season.

After Mayer scored the Illini's first four points of the night, Illinois used an 8-0 run to take an early 10-point lead. All five starters registered points during this stretch, with the Illini taking an 18-8 lead less than seven minutes into the contest.

The Golden Gophers cut their deficit to single digits, but the Illini used another big run to retake their double-digit advantage. A 7-0 Illinois run, capped off with a Melendez dunk, put the hosts ahead by 12 points, the team's largest lead of the opening half.

Illinois carried a 35-29 advantage into halftime, led by a team-high 11 points from Hawkins. The Illini grabbed seven offensive rebounds and tallied seven second-chance points during the first 20 minutes of action.

Epps recorded the Illini's first eight points of the second half, using a personal 8-0 run that included two 3-pointers to push the Illinois lead to 14 points just over two minutes into the frame.

The Illini started heating up from three later in the half, with Hawkins, Mayer, and Epps all getting their triples to fall as the hosts used runs of 10-2 and 7-2 to take a 15-point advantage with under eight minutes to play.

After Minnesota cut its deficit to single digits with under five minutes to play, Melendez knocked down a contested three with the shot clock winding down to put Illinois back in front by double digits less than 30 seconds later.

The Melendez 3-pointer started a 10-3 Illini run, a stretch that featured dunks from Mayer, Melendez, and Hawkins. Illinois retook its game-high 16-point lead following the two-minute stretch with just over two minutes to play.

Illinois (18-9, 9-7) returns to State Farm Center for its penultimate home game on Thursday night, taking on in-state foe No. 21 Northwestern (20-7, 11-5) at 8 p.m. CT.