01/08/26 10:25:00
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01/08 22:23 CST Keaton Wagler scores 17, No. 16 Illinois defeats Rutgers 81-55
Keaton Wagler scores 17, No. 16 Illinois defeats Rutgers 81-55
By STEVE STEIN
Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) --- Keaton Wagler scored 17 points and pulled down seven
rebounds and Tomislav Ivisic had 14 points to lead No. 16 Illinois to an 81-55
victory over Rutgers on Thursday night.
Andrej Stojakovic had 12 points and eight rebounds, Jake Davis scored a dozen
points and David Mirkovich grabbed eight rebounds for the Illini (12-3, 3-1 Big
Ten), who won their fourth straight.
Illinois was 18 of 21 at the free-throw line. The Illini lead the Big Ten and
are No. 3 in the country in free-throw percentage.
Kaden Powers scored 12 points and Harun Zrno had 11 points for Rutgers (8-8,
1-4).
Illinois went on a 20-0 run in the final 7 1/2 minutes of the first half and
led 43-16 at halftime. Davis scored all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers in
the first half, just four fewer points than the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers shot 21% from the floor in the opening half (6 of 28) including 2 of 13
on 3s and was 2 of 6 on free throws.
Tariq Francis, Rutgers' leading scorer, had an off night. He scored six points
on 3 of 10 shooting while playing just 17 minutes after averaging 25 points in
the Scarlet Knights' previous four games.
Francis has had two 30-point games this season. He's the only Big Ten player in
the last 10 seasons with multiple 30-point games off the bench in the same
season.
Illinois improved to 9-0 at home vs. Rutgers, 8-0 in Big Ten games since the
Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2015. The Illini are 14-5 overall
against Rutgers, although the teams split their previous eight games.
Up next
Rutgers: Home vs. Northwestern on Sunday.
Illinois: Plays Sunday at No. 19 Iowa.
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