Illinois Opens With A Bang At Big 10 Men's Basketball Tournament

BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

INDIANAPOLIS – No. 24 Illinois began its Big Ten Tournament title defense with a 106-94 win over Iowa at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday evening

Setting a new program record for points scored in a conference tournament game, the Fighting Illini had five scorers finish in double figures in the 12-point victory over the Hawkeyes. 

Kylan Boswell paced the Illini with a career-high 24 points, going 10-for-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Equaling his season-best mark with four 3-pointers, Boswell also dished out a team-most seven assists, grabbed three rebounds, and made one steal.

Starting 5-for-6 in the first half, Will Riley concluded the evening with 21 points, his fifth 20-point outing of the season. Riley corralled three of his seven rebounds on the offensive glass, and he also tallied five assists.

Tre White also secured his fifth 20-point effort, pouring in 22 points on an efficient 7-for-11 clip. Making two of his three 3-point attempts, White went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line and amassed five rebounds and an assist.

Tomislav Ivisic notched his 10th double-double of the campaign with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Making three 3-pointers, all of which came in the first half, Ivisic posted a career-high six assists and made one block.

Kasparas Jakucionis scored in double figures for the team-leading 23rd time this season, going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in his 10-point, three-rebound performance.

Keeping Iowa scoreless for over two minutes to start the game, the Illini established an early four-point edge behind two 3-pointers from Ivisic. With the sides knotted at seven, Riley accounted for five of the Orange and Blue's next six field goals, becoming the first scorer from either team to reach double figures.

A 7-0 Illinois run in the span of less than two minutes turned a brief three-point deficit into a four-point advantage. Just over three minutes later, with the Hawkeyes holding a 36-35 lead, the Illini pieced together a 12-2 run to take their largest lead of the first half, 47-39. Boswell tallied four points during that four-minute stretch, while Ivisic connected on his third trey of the day.

The sides went into the break with Illinois in front, 49-45, after both teams shot over 55% from the field across the opening 20 minutes of action. Three Illini scorers registered at least 10 points in the first half, while the Orange and Blue held a 19-8 edge on the boards. The opening period of play featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, with the Illini notching the largest lead of the frame at eight points.

After the Hawkeyes trimmed their deficit to two on their first possession of the second half, the Illini responded with a 7-0 run to lengthen their lead to nine. White converted on his second triple of the evening, which helped him reach double figures. Riley scored the Orange and Blue's next five points before back-to-back triples from Boswell moved Illinois' advantage into double digits for the first time.

Jakucionis posted the Illini's next seven points, moving him into double figures and pushing the Orange and Blue edge up to 13 with 13:33 remaining in the contest. Iowa cut that lead down to nine, but a 9-2 run from the Orange and Blue added to Illinois' advantage, 92-76, with seven minutes to go. Ivisic, Boswell, and Ben Humrichous each contributed three points during that stretch.

The Illini reached the century mark with 1:56 remaining on White's dunk, which brought him up to 20 points on the night. Leading by as many as 17 in the contest, Illinois closed out the win from the free-throw line.

In other tourney games, Oregon won over Indiana, 72-59, Wisconsin beat Northwestern 70-63 and Purdue edged USA 76-71.

No. 24 Illinois advances to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday evening, when the Fighting Illini take on No. 11 Maryland, the No. 2 seed in the event, at 5:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

Oregon faces top-seeded Michigan State at 11 a.m. followed by Wisconsin against UCLA, 25 minutes after the opener. Purdue will meet Michigan 25 minutes after the Illinois contest.