Illinois Pounds Michigan, 93-73

BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Illinois pulled away in the second half to take down No. 15 Michigan on the road, 93-73, on Sunday afternoon at Crisler Center.

Four Fighting Illini scorers finished in double figures as the Orange and Blue claimed their ninth-consecutive win over the Wolverines and their fourth ranked triumph of the campaign.

After posting a game-high 13 first-half points, Kylan Boswell finished with 17 points while going 7-for-13 from the field. Five of his nine rebounds came on the offensive glass, while he also amassed four assists, two blocks, and a steal.

Tre White secured his second double-double of the season, collecting a team-high 19 points alongside 11 rebounds. Going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, White also recorded two steals and a block. 

Will Riley registered 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting in addition to his five assists and four rebounds.

Kasparas Jakucionis scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half, and he also totaled six rebounds and four assists.

The Illini capitalized on their dominance on the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 43-32, while scoring 30 second-chance on 19 offensive rebounds.

Neither side led by more than three across the opening eight minutes of action, though Boswell accounted for eight of the Illini's first 10 points. The Illini turned a deficit into a seven-point advantage with an 8-0 run in less than 60 seconds, giving the visitors a 20-13 edge at the halfway point in the opening period.

The home side used back-to-back buckets to cut into Illinois' lead, but a 6-2 run from the visitors re-established the Orange and Blue's seven-point advantage. The Wolverines closed the half on an 11-5 run, though, sending the sides into the break with the Illini narrowly ahead, 31-30.

Boswell led all scorers with 13 points in the first half, while the opening 20 minutes featured three ties and five lead changes.

With the game tied at 41 just under four minutes into the second half, the Illini pieced together an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to go in front once again. That lead reached double digits two minutes later, and a 16-5 stretch over the next four minutes extended the Illini's advantage up to 75-55 with 6:20 remaining in the contest.

The Orange and Blue's advantage reached as high as 21 points late as Illinois improved to 19-11 overall and 11-8 in Big Ten play.

Illinois wraps up the regular season at State Farm Center on Friday night against No. 20 Purdue. The Senior Night tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT on FOX.