Published on December 11, 2024 6:30 am
Last Updated on December 11, 2024 6:32 am
BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois fended off a late Badger rally to secure its first Big Ten win of the season with an 86-80 victory over No. 20 Wisconsin at State Farm Center on Tuesday night.
The Fighting Illini recorded their second ranked triumph of the year to move to 6-0 at home during the 2024-25 campaign.
Kasparas Jakucionis registered a game-high and career-most 24 points, his fourth-consecutive outing with at least 20 points. Shooting 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, Jakucionis totaled six rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
Tre White tallied a season-best 23 points after amassing 14 points in the first half. Going 6-for-8 from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range, and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, White finished with eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, and a block.
Kylan Boswell posted a season-most 19 points, and he accumulated six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
Tomislav Ivisic recorded nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his fourth-straight game with double-digit boards.
The Badgers tallied the game’s first four points, but a 9-0 Illini run gave the hosts their first lead of the night. White’s 3-pointer started that stretch before a triple from Boswell put the hosts in front for the first time. White’s and-1 layup closed out the run, which spanned just over two minutes of game time and put the home side ahead, 9-4.
Wisconsin retook the lead and extended its advantage to five, but a 12-4 run from the Orange and Blue put Illinois back in front. Boswell accounted for five points and Jakucionis buried his first 3-pointer of the night during that stretch to help the Illini establish a 28-25 edge with five minutes remaining in the first half.
After the visitors tied the game at 28, Jakucionis knocked down his second triple to put the Illini right back in front. Less than one minute later, Illinois started to string together an 8-2 run, which was kickstarted by an and-1 layup from White, who also closed out the 90-second scoring stretch with his second trey of the day.
The Illini went into halftime with a 39-35 lead, with White and Jakucionis both reached double figures through the opening 20 minutes.
Illinois’ advantage grew to seven within the first minute of the second half, but a 12-4 run from the Badgers gave the visitors a 47-46 edge with 16:32 remaining.
The Orange and Blue found another quick response, though. Boswell scored the game’s next five points, which saw him move into double figures and put the Illini back in front, to begin a 13-2 run for the hosts. Jakucionis tallied the final five points of that stretch, including a corner three to extend the team’s lead to 59-49 with 12:43 to go.
The Badgers battled back with a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to 63-59, but three free throws from White pushed the Illini’s edge back up to seven.
With Illinois’ lead down to 66-60, Jakucionis made his fourth 3-pointer of the night while also getting fouled, and his 4-point play extended the hosts’ advantage back to double digits, 70-60, with 6:08 to play.
A 7-2 Wisconsin run cut the away side’s deficit in half, but dunks from Ivisic and White on back-to-back possessions gave the Illini a 76-70 lead with 2:21 remaining in the contest. Fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:23 to go, Jakucionis made all three free throws to push Illinois’ edge up to 79-70.
The Badgers stormed back to cut the Illini’s lead to four with less than 30 seconds left, but the Illini made their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Illinois (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten) closes its two-game home swing on Saturday evening against No. 1 Tennessee at sold-out State Farm Center for the program’s annual Stripe State Farm contest. Tipoff between the Fighting Illini and the top-ranked Volunteers is set for 4:30 p.m. CT on FOX.