No. 12 Illinois men’s basketball welcomed No. 3 Purdue to the State Farm Center for its final home game of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday night. Despite the Illini leading by six at halftime, the Boilermakers rallied to spoil Senior Night and give the Illini a 77-71 loss.
Raining threes
The Boilermakers were 1-6 from distance in the first half, which was contrasted by an efficient 4-10 mark from the Illini. Unfortunately for the home team, both teams completely flipped in the second half. Not only did the Boilermakers convert on an astonishing eight of 10 three-point attempts in the final 20 minutes, but the Illini were concurrently 0-6. Illinois was better than Purdue from inside the arc — 53.8% (21-39) compared to 45.5% (20-44) — but the stark difference in three-pointers ended up being the distinction.
* Marcus Domask (A-)
Domask was the Illini’s best player on the offensive end, shooting an efficient 8-16 from the field to score a team-high 20 points against Purdue. Especially during the final five minutes of play, it was the graduate student going head-to-head with the visitors. Domask led the team in a couple of different categories, both good and bad: assists (four), turnovers (four) and scoring (20). While he wasn’t able to carry Illinois to the finish line on Tuesday night, he continued to showcase his consistency offensively.
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* Coleman Hawkins (B+)
Hawkins had the misfortune of matching up against someone six inches taller than him in his last game at the State Farm Center. Despite several possessions ending with Purdue’s Zach Edey elevating over Hawkins and taking a shot where no one else could reach it, Hawkins put up a formidable battle denying the entry pass. This directly turned into three steals to go along with an efficient 13-point performance on offense, the second-highest on the team. Hawkins was also the only Illini to tally more than four rebounds, bringing down nine of Illinois’ 29 rebounds.
* Terrence Shannon Jr. (C-)
Tuesday was an off night for Shannon as the Chicago native struggled from the field, shooting just 3-13 and missing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. While Shannon’s speed and ability to draw fouls were still on full display, his clutch abilities weren’t, as the guard finished the night with 11 points, five of which came from the free-throw line.
* Quincy Guerrier (B-)
Guerrier was electric in the first half, nailing each of his first three attempts from distance. He was ultimately one of just two Illini to sink a three-pointer and the only one to tally more than one, but he was completely shut down in the second half. Purdue limited Guerrier to zero official shot attempts and 2-4 from the free throw line in his nine second-half minutes. Free throws were also an issue all night long, with each of his three trips to the line ending 1-2.
* Ty Rodgers (B)
Despite playing just 18 minutes, Rodgers had a very solid night. He was constantly moving without the ball, which usually set him up as an intermediate passer but also created the opportunity for three offensive rebounds, which turned into six second-chance points for Illinois. In the final home game of his sophomore season, Rodgers went perfect from the field (3-3) and the free throw line (2-2).
Justin Harmon (D)
Simply put, it wasn’t Harmon’s night. The guard blanked on his three attempts from the field and couldn’t hit a wide-open triple attempt that could’ve swung the late momentum back into Illinois’ favor. In 21 minutes, Harmon recorded three rebounds and personal fouls each.
Luke Goode (C)
Most of Goode’s contributions were isolated within a 40-second stretch where he picked up an offensive rebound and went 1-2 from distance. Over the rest of his 19 minutes on the floor, Goode notched one more offensive rebound and an assist. Purdue also outscored Illinois by seven points while Goode was on the floor — the worst on the team.
Dain Dainja (B)
In his seven minutes on the floor, Dainja provided a much-needed physical presence in the paint to try and combat Edey. The redshirt junior forward provided Illinois with a spark and sank both of his attempts from the field.
Niccolo Moretti (N/A)
Moretti picked up an assist during his six minutes of play but did not record any other stats.
Amani Hansberry (N/A)
Hansberry totaled four fouls against Edey in three minutes on the court.
