Illinois Secures 83-78 Win Over UCLA

BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois never trailed and fended off a late UCLA rally to secure an 83-78 win over the Bruins at State Farm Center on Tuesday night.

Four Fighting Illini finished in double figures as the Orange and Blue snapped the Bruins' seven-game win streak to move to 17-8 overall and 9-6 in Big Ten play.

Kasparas Jakucionis led the way offensively with 24 points after going 6-for-9 with 17 points in the second half. With his team-leading 10th 20-point effort of the season, Jakucionis knocked down three 3-pointers, came down with eight rebounds, dished out four assists, and made one block.

Tomislav Ivisic connected on four 3-pointers, going 4-for-6 from deep, before finishing with 16 points. Scoring in double figures for the third straight game, Ivisic also posted seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

Kylan Boswell logged all of his scoring in the second half, recording 11 points while going 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He also corralled four rebounds and tallied two assists.

Will Riley added 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a block off the bench, while Morez Johnson Jr. amassed eight points, six rebounds, and a steal.

Ben Humrichous totaled nine points, three rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.

Holding the Bruins without a field goal for over five minutes to start the game, the Illini eventually opened up a 10-2 lead. That advantage soon grew to double digits following back-to-back fast-break buckets that came from steals on the defensive end of the floor.

After UCLA cut into its deficit by scoring the game's next four points, Illinois established a 19-8 edge behind five consecutive points from Jakucionis, including his first 3-pointer of the night. The visitors then used a 5-0 run to reduce the home side's lead back to single digits, but the Orange and Blue countered with a 9-0 scoring stretch to take a 28-13 advantage with just over five minutes left in the first half.

The Bruins closed the opening period on a 12-3 run, sending the sides into the break with Illinois still in front, 31-25. Four Illini scored at least five points across the first 20 minutes of play, with Jakucionis leading the way with a team-high seven first-half points.

UCLA trimmed its deficit down to three within the first five-and-a-half minutes of the second half, but an 11-4 run over the next two minutes helped Illinois retake a 10-point advantage with 12:23 remaining in the contest.

The Bruins continued to battle, bringing their deficit down to six within the next two minutes. The Orange and Blue then strung together a 12-3 run, including two 3-pointers from Ivisic, to post a 66-51 lead with 7:26 to go in the game.

Five consecutive points from Ben Humrichous extended the Illini's edge up to a game-high 16 points, but UCLA responded with a 13-0 run to cut their deficit down to a single possession, 76-73, with one minute to play. 

Jakucionis ended Illinois' four-minute scoreless drought with a stepback jumper as the shot clock expired with 38 seconds left to push the home side's advantage up to five. The Bruins remained hot with their 10th straight make from the field, but a dunk from Ivisic took the Orange and Blue's edge up to 80-76 with 18.3 seconds left.

UCLA cut its deficit in half once again, this time from the free throw line, before Humrichous was fouled with Illinois in the bonus. Despite the Illini making one of two free throws, Ivisic got the offensive rebound before Boswell sealed the win from the charity stripe.

Illinois is set for a rematch against No. 11 Michigan State in its next contest, which is slated for Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT at sold-out State Farm Center.