| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ILL | 46 | 49 | 95 |
| MINN | 35 | 39 | 74 |
Will Riley and Kasparas Jakucionis key resurgence for No. 23 Illinois in 95-74 romp past Minnesota
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers: Game Highlights
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers: Game Highlights
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Will Riley had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists off the bench and Kasparas Jakucionis had 24 points to help No. 23 Illinois get back on track with a 95-74 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night.
Tomislav Ivisic added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini (16-8, 8-6 Big Ten), who lost four of their previous six games.
Femi Odukale had a season-high 22 points and Lu'Cye Patterson added 19 for the Gophers (12-12, 4-9), who got only 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the Big Ten's second-leading scorer Dawson Garcia.
Illnesses and injuries factored in the recent struggles for the Illini. Despite 7-foot-1 center Ivisic playing through an ankle injury suffered during a loss at Rutgers on Thursday, they were closer to full strength — and it showed. The nation's leading rebounding team had a 50-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Illinois has won eight straight in the series by an average margin of 18 points and is 38-8 against Minnesota in this century.
Illinois: Jakucionis, the freshman standout from Lithuania, matched his career high in scoring to fuel the ninth game of 90-plus points for the Illini this season. This team is averaging 85 points per game, the highest mark since the 1988-89 team that reached the NCAA Final Four.
Minnesota: Despite hitting their first three 3-pointers for the fast start they wanted, the Gophers had nothing else to lean on when their outside shots cooled off.
After Odukale’s 3-pointer cut Minnesota’s deficit to seven, Ivisic backed Patterson into the paint and used an 11-inch height advantage for a drop-step layup with 1:45 left before halftime.
The Illini are 33-25 in Big Ten road games over the last six seasons, the best record in the conference.
Illinois hosts UCLA on Tuesday. Minnesota plays at USC next Saturday.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Earl Walton
- Tim Comer
- Nate Harris
2024-25 Big Ten Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | 11-2 | - | 19-5 |
| Michigan State | 10-2 | 0.5 | 19-4 |
| Michigan | 10-2 | 0.5 | 18-5 |
| Wisconsin | 9-4 | 2 | 19-5 |
| UCLA | 9-4 | 2 | 18-6 |
| Maryland | 7-5 | 3.5 | 17-6 |
| Illinois | 8-6 | 3.5 | 16-8 |
| Ohio State | 6-6 | 4.5 | 14-9 |
| Nebraska | 5-7 | 5.5 | 15-8 |
| USC | 5-7 | 5.5 | 13-10 |
| Rutgers | 5-7 | 5.5 | 12-11 |
| Oregon | 5-8 | 6 | 16-8 |
| Indiana | 5-8 | 6 | 14-10 |
| Iowa | 4-8 | 6.5 | 13-10 |
| Northwestern | 4-8 | 6.5 | 13-10 |
| Minnesota | 4-9 | 7 | 12-12 |
| Penn State | 3-10 | 8 | 13-11 |
| Washington | 2-9 | 8 | 11-11 |
Men's College Basketball News