Courtney Bay Director of Branding and Creative Media | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Courtney Bay Director of Branding and Creative Media | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois secured a victory against UCLA with an 83-78 win at the State Farm Center. The Illini maintained control throughout the game, ending UCLA's seven-game winning streak and improving their record to 17-8 overall and 9-6 in Big Ten play.
Kasparas Jakucionis was instrumental in the win, scoring 24 points. He achieved his tenth 20-point game of the season, a team-leading performance that included three 3-pointers, eight rebounds, four assists, and one block. Tomislav Ivisic also made significant contributions with 16 points and seven rebounds. He hit four out of six attempts from beyond the arc.
Kylan Boswell scored all his 11 points in the second half and was perfect from the free throw line. Will Riley added ten points off the bench, while Morez Johnson Jr. contributed eight points and six rebounds. Ben Humrichous chipped in nine points along with defensive efforts including three rebounds.
Illinois began strong by holding UCLA without a field goal for over five minutes and opened up a lead that they never relinquished. Despite a late rally from UCLA cutting Illinois' lead to just one possession near the end of regulation time, key plays by Jakucionis and Ivisic helped seal the win.
Looking ahead, Illinois will face No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday night at State Farm Center.
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