CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Zvonimir Ivicic scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench and Keaton Wagler scored 17 points to lead No. 13 Illinois to a 77-67 win over Minnesota on Saturday.
David Mirkovic scored 12 points in the second half and Tomislav Ivisic added 10 for the Fighting Illini (15-3, 6-1 Big Ten), which won its seventh straight game.
advertise
This is Wagler’s 10th consecutive game scoring in double figures. He scored at least 16 points in nine of those games.
Andrej Stojakovic scored seven points for Illinois, reaching 1,000 points for his career. He played at Stanford and Cal before joining the Illini this year.
Jalen Crocker-Johnson had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Gophers (10-8, 3-4), who have lost three straight after winning five straight.
Crocker-Johnson scored Minnesota’s first 11 points, including 3-pointers on the Gophers’ first two possessions, causing Illinois head coach Brad Underwood to call a timeout just 1:12 into the game.
advertise
Cade Tyson had 15 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota, but the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer fouled out with 52 seconds left. Langston Reynolds scored 11 points for the Gophers.
At halftime, the two teams were tied 34-34, with the University of Illinois shooting only 34%. The Illini went on a 10-0 run midway through the second half to erase Minnesota’s 56-55 lead and never trailed again.
Illinois is off to its best 18-game start since the start of the 2011-12 season at 15-3.
The Illini have won nine straight games against Minnesota starting in 2019. Saturday’s game was the 200th meeting between the two teams. The Illini lead the series 132-68, including a 77-19 lead at home.
Next
Minnesota: At Ohio State on Tuesday.
Illinois: Host Maryland on Wednesday.
