EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 19 Illinois dropped its Big Ten opener to Northwestern in overtime, 70-66, at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday night.
Kasparas Jakucionis registered a double-double with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds while going 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Scoring 18 of his 20 points in the second half and overtime, Jakucionis also totaled seven assists, one block, and one steal.
Tomislav Ivisic also posted a double-double, his third in a row and his fifth of the season, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. He added a career-high five assists and made one block.
Will Riley scored a team-high 11 points in the first half and finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
The Illini assisted on 19 of their 25 made field goals.
No. 19 Illinois (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten) returns to Champaign on Tuesday for its Big Ten home opener against No. 11 Wisconsin at sold-out State Farm Center. Tipoff between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers is slated for 8 p.m. CT on Peacock.
HIGHLIGHTS
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Kasparas Jakucionis recorded the second double-double of his career, scoring 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds, seven assists, a block and a steal.
- Third-straight 20-point performance.
- Scored in double figures for the third-straight game and for the sixth time overall this season.
- First Illini freshman with three-straight 20-point games since at least 2010-11.
- Is the fifth freshman of the Brad Underwood era to record at least three 20-point games in his rookie season, joining Ayo Dosunmu (7 in 2018-19), Trent Frazier (5 in 2017-18), Giorgi Bezhanishvili (5 in 2018-19), and Kofi Cockburn (5 in 2019-20).
- Knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers.
- Has multiple makes from deep in three-straight games.
- Sixth contest with at least six boards and fourth straight.
- Fourth game of the season with at least six assists.
- Tomislav Ivisic posted his third-straight double-double, scoring 15 points with 12 rebounds, five assists and a block.
- His five double-doubles this season move him into a tie for fourth-most in the nation.
- Has scored in double figures in all eight games this season.
- Has secured double-digit rebounds in three-straight contests and has five such games overall.
- Went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
- Fourth game this season with multiple makes from deep.
- Will Riley came off the bench to score 12 points while adding three rebounds and two assists.
- Scored in double figures for the sixth time this season.
- Morez Johnson Jr. scored six points and grabbed five rebounds.
- Fifth game this season with at least five boards.
