No. 23 Illinois (15-8, 7-6) was upset at Rutgers (12-11, 5-7) on Wednesday night, 82-73. Despite strong moments in the second half, the team ultimately could not overcome an eight-point halftime deficit and inconsistencies in the second half.
The Scarlet Knights won their first ranked matchup of the season, and the Illini lost their fifth Big Ten game to an unranked team.
Rutgers dominate early
The Illini started strong, with sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn hitting a mid-range baseline jumper, putting the visitors on the board first. Illinois followed up a quick offense with a strong defensive possession. Sophomore forward Tomislav Ivišić had three consecutive blocks that ended with the Illini taking possession of the ball and getting down the court. However, freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis was called for a travel — that’s where the trouble started.
After eight and a half minutes of play, Rutgers only let Illinois score four more points, leading 19-6. Rutgers freshman forward Ace Bailey had 10 of those points. The Scarlet Knights outrebounded the Illini 15-5 in that period.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
By the end of the first half, the Illini had narrowed the rebounding margin, getting within two. However, Rutgers still led 37-29. The Scarlet Knights had 14 fast break points, while the Illini had none. Rutgers took advantage of Illinois’ sloppiness with the ball, with 11 points coming from seven turnovers.
Scarlet Knights win first-half freshman battle
Bailey and freshman guard Dylan Harper combined for 25 first-half points on 9-17 shooting. The projected top-10 picks were absolutely sensational and showed exactly why they are highly touted despite Rutgers’ poor play as a team this season.
Jakučionis, another top-10 projected NBA draft pick next season, was disappointing. Jakučionis shot a poor 1-7 from the field and turned the ball over three times. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. went 2-2 in his first half minutes, but two early fouls only let him see the court for eight of the first 20 minutes.
Ivišić injury scare
The Illini seemed like they were starting to improve at the beginning of the second half. After going 2-17 from three and 8-16 from two in the first half, they started taking shots closer to the rim.
In the first three minutes of the second half, all five of Illinois’ shots came inside the arc, with Ivišić making both of his attempts in the paint. Going to Ivišić seemed to be working, but that strategy was short-lived.
Ivišić went up for a rebound just over three minutes into the second half but came down awkwardly on his defender’s foot, which tweaked his ankle. Ivišić couldn’t put much weight on it and had to be helped off the court by players and coaches.
Ivišić reappeared a few minutes later with just under 12 minutes to go. However, he played only a few minutes before going to the bench. At the end of the game, Ivišić walked off the court with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher and looked to be limping slightly. After returning for his second game post-mono, it’s a bad break for Ivišić and the Illini.
9-0 run for Illinois fuels comeback
A four-minute resurgence from Illinois got the team back in the game. From the 16-and-a-half to the 12-and-a-half minute mark, the Illini scored nine straight points while holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless. Illinois took the lead 48-47 for the first time since it was 2-0.
Five different Illini scored on that run, showing their offensive threats when their shot selection was good. After poor shooting in the first half, Illinois attacked the rim in the second half. Every point on their 9-0 run came from two-point range, and only one attempt came from three.
Riley has strong second half
Freshman forward Will Riley has really found his footing in college basketball. The former five-star prospect struggled for much of his freshman year but has been a star in his role off of the bench. After a 24-point performance in Sunday’s win against Ohio State, Riley had a team-high 20 points at Rutgers on Wednesday, including 13 in the second half.
In the final 20 minutes, Riley shot 5-12 from the field. He was aggressive around the rim, a trait that has continued from Sunday’s game. Despite some struggles in the final minutes, this game was another positive step for Riley, who needs to continue to prove himself and justify the first-round pick label he’s been given.
Rutgers outplays Illinois late in second half
Despite Illinois fighting back to even the score early in the second half, they couldn’t keep the momentum going until the final buzzer. After the score was tied at 50 apiece, Illinois went 8-20 from the field. Rutgers shot better, going 7-15.
What hurt the Illini was the last five minutes. They missed seven of their nine shots in the closing five minutes and could not find a way to close out the game. Harper’s 15 second-half points also did not help Illinois’ chances, and Rutgers came out victorious, much to the delight of its home fans.
Illinois has now lost five of its last eight games. The team stays on the road for its next contest: a Saturday showdown at Minnesota (12-11, 4-8).
@sahil_mittal24
