Illinois Cruises to Win Over Little Rock

BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois cruised to a 92-34 victory over Little Rock at State Farm Center on Monday night in the team's final home non-conference game ahead of the start of Big Ten play.

The Fighting Illini's 34 points allowed tied the program record for the fewest points ever conceded at State Farm Center.

Kasparas Jakucionis recorded a career-most and game-high 21 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Jakucionis poured in a career-best three 3-pointers, going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. He also tacked on six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

Tomislav Ivisic secured his third double-double of the campaign, totaling 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ivisic, who has scored in double figures in all six games this season, went an efficient 7-for-10 from the field, dished out three assists, and made two steals. 

Tre White recorded double-digit points for the second time this year, finishing with a season-high 16 points. Going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, White also totaled eight rebounds and two steals.

Will Riley added 13 points off the bench, his third consecutive outing in double figures, while knocking down three 3-pointers. 

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn ended his night with nine points, while Morez Johnson Jr. accumulated eight points and 11 rebounds.

Kylan Boswell registered a team-most seven assists and made one steal.

Illinois dominated the glass, winning the rebounding margin, 56-26. The home side took advantage of a 23-0 run over an eight-minute stretch in the first half to pull away and never looked back en route to the 58-point home victory.

The Trojans got on the board first, but the Illini were not behind for long. An 11-2 Illinois run gave the home side an early six-point lead and forced Little Rock to use its first timeout just over four minutes into the contest.

Getting to the free-throw line early and often, the Orange and Blue capitalized by scoring nine of their first 17 points from the charity stripe to take a 17-8 edge.

With the Illini's lead down to seven points, the hosts began to take over. 3-pointers via Riley and Ivisic sparked the Illinois offense before dunks from Johnson and Riley caused the Trojans to use their second timeout of the half.

The brief intermission did not thwart the Orange and Blue, with the hosts scoring the next 10 points out of the break to complete a 23-0 run. The Illini held the visitors without a point for nearly eight minutes during that stretch, which also included four offensive rebounds and three steals.

Jakucionis accounted for the home side's final eight points of the first half, and Illinois went into halftime with a commanding 51-19 advantage. Jakucionis, Ivisic, and Riley all reached double figures in scoring across the opening 20 minutes, with Jakucionis leading the way with a game-high 13 points.

The Illini picked up where they left off early immediately after the break, piecing together a 12-2 run across the first six minutes of the second half to extend their lead to 63-21. White became the fourth Illinois scorer to reach double figures after tallying four points during that stretch, while Jakucionis converted his second and third 3-pointers of the night.

Another lengthy Illinois scoring run, this time a 10-2 stretch, saw the hosts continue to add to their sizable advantage. That four-minute span pushed the Illini's edge up to 76-27 with just under eight minutes remaining.

The Orange and Blue ended the game with a 14-2 run to secure the dominant home win over the 2024-25 Ohio Valley Conference preseason pick to win their league.

Illinois (5-1) concludes its jam-packed stretch of four games in nine days on Thursday at 3 p.m. CT against No. 19 Arkansas for the Thanksgiving Hoops Classic. The showdown between the Fighting Illini and the ranked Razorbacks is set for T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., and will air nationally on CBS.