No. 3 Illinois Runs Through Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament

Brendan Ross
FightingIllini.com

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in convincing fashion 90-68 on Friday night. The Illini were led by junior Ayo Dosunmu's 23 points, six rebounds and five assists along with sophomore Kofi Cockburn's 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Illinois dominated the first half, taking a 47-28 lead into the break. They were led by Dosunmu's 14 points and Cockburn's eight rebounds (five offensive) and capped off the period with a mid-range buzzer beater from senior Trent Frazier. Cockburn threw down a thunderous dunk with forty seconds remaining to propel the Illini to the locker room with all of the momentum.

The Illini kept their foot on the gas in the second half, never losing the lead and coasting to the victory. Highlighted by numerous Kofi slams and an unmatched pace from the Illini offense, the Orange and Blue outscored Rutgers 43-40 in the second half.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Illinois had seven players score over seven points, including eight from redshirt-junior Jacob Grandison and seven from freshman Andre Curbelo. In addition to Dosunmu and Cockburn's scoring total, freshman Adam Miller contributed with 12 points of his own.

Senior Trent Frazier added eight points and four assists.

DOMINATING THE BOX SCORE

The Illini held the advantage in nearly every statistical category. Illinois outrebounded Rutgers by a margin of 44 to 19 including 17 on the offensive glass compared to their three. Illinois also more than doubled their opponents assists, passing to score on 16 occasions versus seven for Rutgers.

DYNAMIC DUO

Dosunmu and Cockburn combined for 41 points and 17 rebounds on 14-for-21 shooting (66.6%). The First Team All-B1G duo showcased their chemistry, as Dosunmu consistently provided open looks for dunks and layups in the paint for the Illinois center.

NEXT UP

Illinois will advance in the Big Ten Tournament to Saturday's semifinals game against the winner of Iowa and Wisconsin. The game will start 25 minutes after the first semifinal game beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday and be broadcasted on CBS.

NOTES

• Illinois has won 12 of its last 13 games. 
• Illinois advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2010.
• Illinois and Rutgers met in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time ever. 
• Illinois scored 90 points in a Big Ten Tournament game for the fourth time in program history, the most of any team. 
• Illinois owns a 17-6 record (.739) when playing its opening game of the BTT. 
• Illinois is 13-5 (.722) in the quarterfinal round of the BTT. 
• Illinois is 19-6 (.760) in BTT games when it is the higher seed. 
• Illinois is 12-10 (.545) all-time in BTT games played in Indianapolis, with championship game appearances in 2004 and 2008. 
• Illinois is a No. 2 seed in the BTT for the fourth time. Illinois is 6-2 as the No. 2 seed, winning the championship in 2003 and advancing to the semifinals in 1998 and 2009. 
• Illinois' No. 2 seed is its highest since 2009, when the Illini also were seeded second in the BTT. 
• Illinois has advanced to the BTT semifinals 13 times, tied for the second-most semifinal appearances: 
    -15 Michigan State
    -13 Illinois
    -12 Wisconsin
    -12 Ohio State
• Illinois is tied for the third-most all-time BTT wins with 29: 
    -32 Michigan State
    -32 Ohio State
    -29 Illinois
    -29 Michigan
• Kofi Cockburn had 18 points and 12 rebounds, his 16th double-double. The 16 double-doubles is tied for the fifth-most in Illinois single-season history:
    -20 Skip Thoren, 1965
    -20 Skip Thoren, 1964
    -18 Don Freeman, 1966
    -17 Ken Norman, 1987
    -16 Kofi Cockburn, 2021
    -16 Nick Weatherspoon, 1973
    -16 Rich Jones, 1966
    -16 Dave Downey, 1962
• Ayo Dosunmu had 23 points, five rebounds, and six assists. He is averaging 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists to be the only player in the last 11 seasons to average 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.