Illinois (17-8, 9-6) was firmly in the lead against UCLA (18-7, 9-5) nearly all of Tuesday night in Champaign. The Illini never trailed and avoided a 13-0 run by the Bruins in the final few minutes, winning 83-78.
The Illini were solid across the board in their first game without a player on the injury report since early January.
*Kasparas Jakučionis (A): Freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis had his second strong performance in a row after a rough stretch of games. Jakučionis shot 8-14 from the field, including a trio of three-pointers en route to a team-high 24 points.
Jakučionis also added eight rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. He had four assists but turned the ball over five times. Despite the highs, the 18-year-old was critical of his few mistakes.
“I’m not happy with my performance; I did five turnovers,” Jakučionis said. “I just had to be stronger with the ball, not as sloppy as I was, and match their physicality.”
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Head coach Brad Underwood, however, has stressed that he is OK with Jakučionis making some errors since he wants him to be aggressive. Especially when Jakučionis is playing a season-high 37 minutes, he’ll make mistakes as the focal point of the offense. It’s nonetheless refreshing to see such a young player take immediate responsibility for errors.
*Kylan Boswell (B-): Junior guard Kylan Boswell did not shoot well, going 1-4 on the night, and all four attempts were from three. However, he demonstrated his ability to get to the free-throw line once again, going 8-8 on foul shots. Boswell finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
“The job Kylan did in the second half today (Tuesday) was tremendous,” Underwood said. “And on both ends.”
*Ben Humrichous (B-): Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous started the game with a beautiful assist to freshman forward Will Riley on a fast break for an easy layup. Humrichous ended the game with two assists, nine points and three rebounds. He shot 2-5 from three, sinking multiple threes for the 13th time this season.
“Ben’s turned into a really, really good Big Ten player,” Underwood said. “Big threes and big shots, and now we’re able to play some booty ball with him. He’s rebounding the ball when he didn’t early (in the season).”
Overall, it was a solid effort from Humrichous, who is starting to settle into a more consistent role as a small forward alongside Underwood’s two-big starting lineup: freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. and sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić.
“It opens a lot of space for everyone because Ben is an amazing shooter, and teams know that,” Ivišić said. “It opens the cuts, opens the pick and rolls. Spacing is the key with Ben (at small forward).”
*Morez Johnson Jr. (B+): Johnson continued to be efficient in the paint, making four of his five shots. He scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in an all-around solid effort.
Johnson’s prowess on the offensive glass showed once again, with three of his six boards coming on that end.
*Tomislav Ivišić (A): Despite his still-swollen ankle and sitting out of practice, Ivišić had another strong performance, following up his double-double at Minnesota on Saturday.
Ivišić went 5-8 from the field to score 16 points. Four of his five made buckets were threes; the big man was hot from beyond the arc. His offensive versatility and recent high-level play while hurt make it clear why he is moving up draft boards.
After the game, Underwood said that he’s not surprised by how well Ivišić is playing despite his injury.
“He’s very mature, he’s very cerebral, he’s very smart, he’s spent a lot of film time and obviously just tougher than nails,” Underwood said. “I know what we are without him, and I know what we are with him, and him at 80% is pretty good.”
Ivišić also contributed seven rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes.
Will Riley (B): Riley was solid on Tuesday night but relatively quiet compared to his last few games, including a 27-point outburst against Minnesota on Saturday. The freshman forward had 10 points on 5-11 shooting and added three rebounds and two assists. He looked comfortable within the offense, even if it wasn’t his most flashy night.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (C): Sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn barely played against Minnesota while recovering from the flu, and he still didn’t see much action against UCLA. Gibbs-Lawhorn only played seven minutes and did not score. He grabbed two rebounds and dished out a single assist.
Jake Davis (B): Sophomore wing Jake Davis scored all five of his points early in the first half. He went 2-3, making a corner three and a layup. Davis gave the Illini very solid minutes in the nine he spent on the court.
Tre White (N/A): Junior guard Tre White was not on the injury report after returning to practice from an illness but didn’t see the floor against UCLA. Underwood attributed White being a healthy scratch to just not having enough time to work him back into the rotation.
“There’s nothing to that; it’s just getting back into the flow,” Underwood said. “We’ve been in a really busy stretch, so there hasn’t been a ton of practice. He did practice yesterday (Monday). I told him after the game, ‘We’re going to need you’ … We’ll slowly get those guys worked back in.”
Former Illini Skyy Clark (C), Orange Krush (A): The Orange Krush might have been the loudest it has been all season for former Illinois guard Skyy Clark’s first return to Champaign since he left the program midway through his freshman year. Now a junior at UCLA, Clark was subjected to various unpleasant chants and was booed every time he touched the ball.
“Skyy’s a traitor,” the Orange Krush chanted early in the game.
The student section’s heckling seemed to work, as Clark only scored nine points on 3-7 shooting in 28 minutes. It was not the revenge game that UCLA fans hoped for; the Bruins’ loss ended their seven-game win streak.
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