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.Â
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.
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.
Highlights
Press Conference
Postgame NotesÂ
Player Notes
- Kylan Boswell paced the scoring with 24 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed three rebounds, and made one steal.
- Scored a career-high 24 points.
- Was his second 20-point game of the season.
- Led the Illini in scoring for the third time.
- Has 10+ points in five-straight games and for the 21st time this season.Â
- Recorded his 10th game of the season with 5+ assists.
- Dished out seven assists.
- Tied for his second-most in a game this season.
- Tre White poured in 22 points, along with five rebounds and an assist.
- Posted his fifth 20-point scoring effort of the season.
- Reached double figures in scoring for the fifth straight game, a season-best streak.
- Has scored 10+ points in 14 games this season.Â
- Hit multiple 3-pointers for the fourth straight game.Â
- Has hit 11 3-pointers in his last five games after knocking down 10 triples through his first 24 games.Â
- Will Riley tallied 21 points while also totaling seven rebounds and five assists.
- Registered his fifth game this season with at least 20 points.
- Scored in double figures for the fourth-consecutive game and for the 20th time this season.
- Has 10+ points in 11 of his last 12 appearances.
- Started 5-for-6 from the field.
- His seven rebounds are tied for his third-most in a game this season.
- Has seven games with at least three offensive rebounds.
- Tomislav Ivisic recorded a double-double with 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds while also dishing out six assists and making one block.
- Secured his team-leading 10th double-double of the season.
- Has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 24 games this season, tied with Stanford's Maxime Raynaud for the most games with a triple among 7-footers.
- Fifth game with at least three 3-pointers.Â
- 19 games scoring in double figures.
- Dished out a career-high six assists
- Morez Johnson Jr. had four points, eight rebounds, and an assist.
- Played first minutes since Feb. 15 vs. Michigan State.Â
- He missed the final five games of the regular season with a left wrist fracture.Â
- Five of his eight rebounds came on the offensive glass.
- Has 5+ offensive boards in six games this season.
- Kasparas Jakucionis added 10 points and three rebounds.
- Marked his team-leading 23rd game in double figures.
- Made at least seven free throws for the seventh time this season.
Team Notes
- Starting lineup: Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley, Tre White
- Fourth consecutive game with this starting lineup (4-0)
- Illinois moved into a tie for second place for most all-time Big Ten Tournament wins:
- 1. Ohio State, 38
- t-2. Illinois, 35
- t-2. Michigan State, 35Â
- Illinois is 25-8 in Big Ten Tournament games when it is the higher (better) seed, and has won four straight games as the higher seed following the team's championship run last season.
- Illinois owns a 19-8 all-time record when playing its opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.Â
- The Illini are 6-4 when opening on Thursday.
- Illinois is 7-5 overall in Thursday games at the Big Ten Tournament.
- The Illini's 106 points are their most in a Big Ten Tournament game in program history.
- That also ranks as the second-most points scored in Big Ten Tournament history.
- Illinois' 35 made field goals are its most in a Big Ten Tournament game in program history.
- That mark also ranks tied for the fourth-most by any team in tournament history.
- The Fighting Illini are 20-1 this season when scoring 80+ points.
- The Illini scored 100+ points for the fourth time this season, improving to 4-0 in those contests.Â
- It is the team's first 100-point game since tallying 109 in a win at No. 9 Oregon on Jan. 2.Â
- The Illini had three 20-point scorers for the second time this season (Boswell [24], White [22], Riley [21]).
- Also did so against Penn State on Jan. 8.
- The Illini are the first team since at least 2004-05 with three 20-point scorers in a Big Ten Tournament game.
- Illinois went 46.2% (12-for-26) from 3-point range.
- Was the team's fourth-best 3-point percentage this season.
- The Illini went 24-for-30 from the free-throw line as a team.
- 24 makes are their third-most in a game this season.
- 30 free-throw attempts are their fourth-most in a game this season.
- Illinois outrebounded Iowa at a 41-24 margin.
- The Illini grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and converted for 17 second-chance points.
- Illinois has 10+ o boards in 26 games this season.
- The Illini had 20 assists on 35 made field goals.
- Had 20+ assists for the seventh time this season.
- In a game with 10 lead changes and eight ties, Illinois led for a total of 32:37.
- Illinois and Iowa combined for a tournament-record 200 points in the contest.
