CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – #13 Illinois remained perfect at State Farm Center this season with an 87-73 victory over UTRGV on Monday night.
With five scorers in double figures, the Fighting Illini improved to 6-1 ahead of their top-15 neutral-site matchup in New York City on Friday.
Andrej Stojakovic posted a game-high 14 first-half points before finishing with 24, the fourth 20-point outing of his Illini career.
David Mirkovic finished with 10 points, a career-high five assists, and four rebounds and has now scored in double figures in each of his first seven collegiate contests. Mihailo Petrovic secured 12 points for his first double-digit scoring effort of the season,
Tomislav Ivisic logged 10 points and five rebounds, while Zvonimir Ivisic tallied 10 points and seven boards.
Keaton Wagler collected eight points and eight rebounds.
The sides traded baskets early in the first half before a 22-6 run fueled the Fighting Illini to their first double-digit lead of the night. Illinois held UTRGV to only one field goal during that seven-minute stretch, with the hosts establishing a 36-24 edge at the under-4 timeout.
Led by a game-high 14 points from Stojakovic, the Orange and Blue went into the break with a 42-31 advantage. Eight Illini corralled multiple rebounds in the opening half, while the home side held the Vaqueros to only four field goals across the final 10 minutes of the frame.
A 10-3 stretch early in the second half turned a six-point lead into a 13-point edge in less than three minutes. After the visitors trimmed their deficit to single digits, Illinois made its next five shots from the field to claim a 68-51 advantage with 10:39 to play.
The Vaqueros reduced the Illini edge to 11, but six straight points saw the hosts retake a 17-point edge with just over four minutes remaining. Illinois took its largest lead of the night shortly after, a 19-point advantage, before closing out the victory.
#13 Illinois heads to New York City to take on #5 UConn on Friday for the SentinelOne Showdown at Madison Square Garden. The Fighting Illini will face the Huskies at 11:30 a.m. CT on FOX.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Players
- Andrej Stojakovic scored a game-high 24 points including 14 in the first half.
- Posted his third straight game with 20+ points and his fourth in the Illini's last five contests.
- Made his first four shots from the field
- Set a season high with six rebounds
- Mihailo Petrovic scored a career-high 12 points (4-5 FGs) with four assists in 15:35 minutes off the bench.
- Recorded the first double-digit scoring game his college career.
- Finished one assist shy of his season high of 5 set during his debut vs. Alabama at the United Center.
- Was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line and hit his only 3-point attempt of the game.
- David Mirkovic finished with 10 points, a career-high five assists, and four rebounds
- Scored in double-figures for the seventh straight game to begin his college career.
- Dished out a game-high five assists, a career-best total
- Converted his first three shots from the field and all four attempts from the free throw line.
- Zvonimir Ivisic scored 10 points and added seven rebounds with one block.
- Posted his third game of the season with 10+ points, and his first in four contests since scoring 11 in Illinois' win vs. #8 Texas Tech on Nov. 11.
- Posted a game-high +/- rating of +20 in 17 minutes, 41 seconds of action off the bench.
- Keaton Wagler posted eight points and eight rebounds (two offensive) with two assists and a steal.
- His eight rebounds marked a career-best total.
- Has recorded multiple offensive rebounds of six of his first seven games.
- Ben Humrichous tied Keaton Wagler for game-high honors with eight rebounds and added two blocks
- Has recorded five or more rebounds in six of seven games this season.
- Kylan Boswell finished with six points (4-4 FTs), two rebounds and three assists.
- Snapped his streak of consecutive games with 10+ points at 19.
Team
- Starters: Kylan Boswell, Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, and Tomislav Ivisic
- Illinois has won eight straight games at State Farm Center, overall, including seven consecutive vs. nonconference opponents, and 35 straight against unranked nonconference foes since December 2019.
- Illinois scored 80+ points for the seventh straight game.
- The program's longest streak since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini (12).
- After trailing by as many as four points, 18-14, at the 10:40 mark in the first half, the Illini allowed just one field goal over the next 7:41 and outscored UTRGV 22-6 during that stretch to take a 36-24 lead with 3:28 left in the period.
- Illinois led 42-31 at halftime and improved to 6-1 on the season and 135-33 in the Brad Underwood era, when leading at the break.
- Illinois outrebounded UTRGV, 44-32, and have recorded a rebounding advantage in all seven games played this season.
- The Illini battled through eight lead changes in the contest, the most in a game this season.
- The Illini made their first 13 free throws and finished 19-22 (.863) for the team's third game this season shooting 80% or better from the stripe.
