Illinois Cruises To Win Over Indiana, 94-69

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 19 Illinois cruised to a comfortable and dominant 94-69 road win over Indiana at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday night.

The Fighting Illini led by as many as 31 points en route to their largest road win against the Hoosiers in program history.

Despite missing the last two games, Kasparas Jakucionis did not miss a beat in his return, finishing with 21 points while making three 3-pointers and going 7-for-13 from the field. The Lithuania native also accumulated five assists and three rebounds.

Tomislav Ivisic posted his seventh double-double of the year, amassing 17 points and 11 rebounds. Knocking down three 3-pointers, all of which came in the first half, Ivisic dished out four assists and made one block, while five of his 11 boards came on the offensive glass. 

Kylan Boswell tallied a season-best and game-high 22 points, including 13 points in the second half. Recording his first 20-point outing of the campaign, Boswell also totaled seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 12 points off the bench and corralled two offensive rebounds.

Ben Humrichous tacked on seven points and five rebounds, Tre White collected five points and six boards, and Morez Johnson Jr. logged five points and 10 rebounds.

Five lead changes inside the opening three minutes encapsulated the back-and-forth nature of both teams' early few possessions, but the Orange and Blue soon settled in on both ends of the floor. Jakucionis accounted for eight of the Illini's first 10 points, and a 15-2 Illinois run gave the visitors a double-digit advantage less than seven minutes into the contest.

Jakucionis reached double figures two minutes later, and he was only just getting started. A 10-2 Illini run – which featured 3-pointers from Boswell, Ivisic, and Jakucionis – brought the away side's edge above the 20-point mark for the first time with 8:13 left in the opening half.

Illinois continued to add to its advantage. Scoring 50 points within the first 15 minutes of play, the Orange and Blue pieced together another long run, this time a 12-2 stretch, to lengthen their lead to 30 points, 52-22, with just under five minutes to go before halftime.

Allowing only two field goals over the final four minutes, Illinois closed the frame on a 5-0 run, which sent the sides into the break with the visitors in front, 60-32.

The Illini dominated in all facets across the opening 20 minutes of play, highlighted by a 29-18 edge on the boards, a 10-4 margin on the offensive glass, and 17 second-chance points. The team's European duo of Ivisic and Jakucionis led the way offensively, with Ivisic posting 15 points, eight rebounds, and two 3-pointers in the first half, while Jakucionis found his groove early with a game-high 19 points and three treys.

The Hoosiers began the second half with a 10-0 run, cutting their deficit below 20 for the first time in nearly 10 minutes of game action. 

A 17-3 run from the away side brought the Orange and Blue's edge up to 81-51 with just over eight minutes remaining in the contest. Gibbs-Lawhorn registered five points during that stretch, bringing him into double figures, while Boswell also scored five points during those four minutes.

The Illini's lead eventually climbed as high as 31 late in the contest as the Orange and Blue picked up their third Big Ten road win of the campaign.

Sitting at 13-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play, No. 19 Illinois remains on the road to take on No. 12 Michigan State on Sunday. The opening tipoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT on CBS.