After its high-scoring win over Minnesota, No. 13 Illinois men’s basketball traveled to Wisconsin for one of its final regular season games. Despite trailing in the beginning and even game in the second half, Illinois ultimately pulled away for a comfortable 91-83 win over Wisconsin.
There were no changes to Illinois’ starting lineup, with graduate student forwards Quincy Guerrier and Marcus Domask alongside fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr., senior forward Coleman Hawkins and sophomore guard Ty Rodgers.
The Illini reeled in the opening tipoff but came up empty on their first two possessions. Domask eventually put Illinois on the board in response to Wisconsin’s first basket before Hawkins worked inside to get a 5-2 lead.
Wisconsin responded swiftly with a 12-0 run, aided by a flagrant one foul on redshirt junior forward Dain Dainja. Domask ended the drought with some crafty work on the inside, but it was a defensive turnaround that swayed things in Illinois’ favor. While Wisconsin was in the middle of a three-minute scoring drought, Shannon caught fire for six straight points that moved Illinois within five (18-13).
Domask and Shannon continued to trade buckets for the Illini, at one point having all but two of Illinois’ points (25-21). Once again, stepping up on the defensive end allowed Illinois to gain some ground. While holding the Badgers scoreless for just over four minutes, the Illini notched 10 points to storm out in front (31-25).
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The lead hit a game-high seven points for Illinois with 1:32 remaining in the first half, but Wisconsin closed on a miniature 5-0 run (39-37). Shannon and Domask had electric offensive performances throughout the first 20 minutes, contributing 14 and 13 points respectively. They also accounted for all six of Illinois’ three-pointers in the first half.
Illinois started the second half where it left off, executing on offense. Within a minute, Domask converted on a strong finish, and Guerrier was the third Illini to bury a three-pointer (44-37). However, the game shifted in an instant as Wisconsin was quick to punish an extended scoring drought from Illinois.
An 8-0 run from the Badgers momentarily put them in front by one, but Hawkins immediately fired back from distance (50-49). Both teams continued to look unstoppable on offense, which meant the game was blown open as soon as Illinois managed to string together a pair of stops. A midrange from Shannon, deep three from Domask and a layup from graduate student guard Justin Harmon catapulted Illinois into a 66-59 advantage in less than a minute.
However, the Illini lead evaporated as quickly as it appeared. The scoreboard was knotted at 68 when Illinois went back to Domask, who returned to the post for a left-handed finish. Holding the Badgers to three points over the following three minutes proved crucial, as Domask and Shannon continued to score at will and pushed their lead to double-digits with 2:11 remaining (81-71).
Domask provided clutch bucket after clutch bucket for the Illini and ultimately reached 31 points before the Badgers began intentionally fouling. Illinois protected its double-digit lead down the stretch, ultimately winning 91-83. Domask (31) and Shannon (23) combined for 54 points, making 18 of their 34 shot attempts. Domask also led the Illini in rebounds (8) and assists (3).
The Illini will return Tuesday at 6 p.m., hosting No. 2 Purdue in its final home game of the season.
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