No. 21 Illinois earns first road win at Purdue since 2008
Freshman center Kofi Cockburn fires off a jump shot during No. 21-ranked Illinois’ game at Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. on Tuesday night. The Illini haven’t won at Mackey Arena since 2008.
January 21, 2020
Illinois basketball hasn’t left Mackey Arena with a win since December 2008. The No. 21 Illini (14-5, 6-2) broke the 11-game losing streak at Purdue Tuesday night with a 79-62 win, completing the sweep against the Boilermakers.
“It was amazing to just look at that scoreboard and watch the time run out and just know we got a victory,” said junior guard Trent Frazier. “All week they’ve been saying Purdue this, Purdue that; they’re the toughest team, toughest arena to play in. We’re tough, too.”
The win marks just the eighth road win between two Big Ten teams this season and the fifth-straight win for the Illini — the longest standing win streak in the conference.
“We had something to prove, we had a little chip on our shoulder,” Frazier said. “We wanted to come in and show who the toughest team was tonight, just make a statement to the whole country.”
Freshman Kofi Cockburn and sophomore Ayo Dosunmu each recorded a double-double, the first of Dosunmu’s career; Cockburn scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Dosunmu scored 18 points and added 11 assists.
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Head coach Brad Underwood said Frazier’s ball security, having just two turnovers in the last seven games, has given Dosunmu the ability to work off the ball.
“As (Dosunmu) brings the ball up the court, he’s got movement before it, triple-threat before it, (and) then we’ve got guys making shots,” Underwood said. “You don’t get 11 assists without people stepping up and hitting shots, but his reads are great. (Dosunmu) is becoming an elite, elite closer, not just with his shooting but with his passing.”
Frazier had a season-high 21 points against the Boilermakers. Frazier shot 71% from three-point range and was a perfect six-for-six from the free-throw line.
The Illini outscored the Boilermakers 50-32 in the second half after trailing by one point at halftime. Illinois made 11 of their first 12 shots coming out of the break and finished the second half shooting 75%.
Sophomore Giorgi Bezhanishvili scored all 10 of his points in the second half after picking up two early fouls in the first four minutes of the game.
While Illinois only trailed for nearly four minutes the entire game, momentum in Mackey Arena shifted briefly in the first half after sophomore Alan Griffin was ejected for stepping on Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic.
Illinois shot 55% from the field overall and held Purdue to 41%. The Illini also won the rebounding battle in convincing fashion, 37-19.
The Illini still sit in second place in the Big Ten. No. 11 Michigan State sits above Illinois with a 14-4, 6-1 record.
“After the Wisconsin game, getting that first Big Ten win on the road — that was big, I really enjoyed it,” Dosunmu said. “This game, not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but this is what we expect; this is the standard. Not just a one-time wonder thing.”
The road trip will continue for Illinois as they head to Michigan (11-6, 2-4) on Saturday. The Wolverines have lost their last two games against Iowa and Minnesota but host Penn State on Wednesday.
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