Kwa Jones Director of Recruiting and Scouting | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Kwa Jones Director of Recruiting and Scouting | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois achieved a significant victory against No. 19 Arkansas with a score of 90-77 during the Thanksgiving Hoops Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. The win marked Illinois' first triumph over a ranked team this season.
Tomislav Ivisic delivered an impressive performance, playing against his twin brother Zvonimir Ivisic from Arkansas for the first time. He recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. His contributions included six successful 3-pointers, three blocks, two steals, and two assists.
Kasparas Jakucionis also shone by achieving a career-high of 23 points, with a substantial portion scored in the second half. He completed seven out of thirteen field goals and was nearly perfect at the free-throw line.
Kylan Boswell contributed significantly with 18 points, efficiently scoring six out of ten shots from the field. Boswell led his team in assists and added five rebounds to his statistics.
Ben Humrichous scored all nine of his points through successful long-range attempts, adding two rebounds to his tally.
The team's proficient shooting from beyond the arc was pivotal, as they made fifteen out of thirty-one attempts. This strong start included an early lead established within four minutes into the game.
Despite efforts from Arkansas to close the gap throughout various stages of the game, Illinois maintained control. The Illini's advantage remained intact until the final whistle as they improved their season record to 6-1.
Looking ahead, Illinois will begin Big Ten play against Northwestern on December 6th at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.
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