Efficient 3-Point Shooting Helps Illinois Take Down No. 19 Arkansas

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Illinois earned its first ranked win of the season with a 90-77 victory over No. 19 Arkansas at the Thanksgiving Hoops Classic on Thursday evening. The Illini never trailed in the team's 13-point victory over the ranked Razorbacks at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Tomislav Ivisic - playing against his twin brother, Arkansas' Zvonimir Ivisic, for the first time - posted his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Making a career-high six 3-pointers, Ivisic also amassed three blocks, two steals, and two assists.

Kasparas Jakucionis registered a career-best 23 points, including 15 in the second half. Jakucionis went 7-for-13 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, and he totaled six rebounds and four assists.

Kylan Boswell poured in a season-high 18 points while shooting an efficient 6-for-10 from the field. Boswell dished out a team-high six assists, grabbed five rebounds, and made one block and one steal.

All of Ben Humrichous' nine points came on 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range, and he added two rebounds, one steal, and one block.

Illinois' 3-point shooting proved to be the difference, with the Orange and Blue going 15-for-31 from behind the arc. Seven different Illini connected from deep, with three players recorded multiple makes from 3-point range.

The Illini got out to a fast start, taking an 11-0 lead within the first four minutes of play. Three of Illinois' first four field goals came from 3-point range, with Ivisic connecting on two triples and Humrichous burying a trey of his own. 

After Kylan Boswell knocked down a triple, Morez Johnson Jr. accounted for the Orange and Blue's next four points before Humrichous hit his second 3-pointer of the evening to extend the team's lead to 21-6.

The Razorbacks responded with an 8-2 run to cut their deficit to single digits with just over eight minutes remaining in the frame. An 8-3 Illini scoring stretch moved Illinois' edge back up to double figures before a 6-0 Arkansas run saw the lead move to 37-28 in the Illini's favor.

Holding the Razorbacks without a field goal for nearly three minutes late in the half, the Orange and Blue took advantage by piecing together a 12-4 run during that stretch before eventually entering the break with a 49-34 edge.

Ivisic recorded four 3-pointers across the opening 20 minutes en route to a game-high 13 first-half points, while Boswell also scored in double figures in the opening period of play.

The Illini's first points of the second half came via Ivisic's fifth trey of the day. After a 5-0 Arkansas run cut Illinois' lead to 11, the Orange and Blue used a 7-2 run, which included four points from Boswell and a 3-pointer from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, to establish a 59-43 edge.

Both sides seemed to have an answer for every opposing shot over the next several minutes, during which Ivisic made his sixth triple and Humrichous converted his third make from 3-point range.

The Razorbacks posted a 6-2 run to cut their deficit to single digits with 4:13 left in the contest but the Illini countered with a 5-0 run to extend their lead back to double digits, 85-71, with 2:42 remaining in the game. 

The Orange and Blue's advantage never dropped below double digits the rest of the way as the Illini improved to 6-1 on the season.

Illinois' next game features the beginning of Big Ten play, with the Fighting Illini taking on Northwestern away from home. The in-state battle between the Illini and the Wildcats is set for Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. CT at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, while the game will air on Big Ten Network.

HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Kasparas Jakucionis scored a career-high 23 points while going 7-for-13 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
  • Recorded a career-scoring high for the second straight game, following his 21-point effort vs. Little Rock on Monday with a 23-point effort Thursday vs. Arkansas
  • Scored in double figures for the fifth time this season.
• Tomislav Ivisic scored a career-high 21 points and tallied 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, extending his Big Ten-leading total and moving into a tie for 7th in the NCAA.  
  • Reached double-figures scoring for the seventh straight game to open his Illinois career. 
  • Posted double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season.
  • Finished 6-for-9 from 3-point range, eclipsing his season-best total in the first half with four triples before the break. 
    • Marked his third game of the season with multiple 3-pointers
    • His six 3-pointers are the most by an Illini in a game this season and the most since Terrence Shannon Jr. also recorded six against Western Illinois on Nov. 24, 2023.
  • Defensively, Ivisc also tied his career high with three blocks and tallied multiple steals for the second consecutive game. 
• Kylan Boswell scored a season-high 18 points, reaching double-figures scoring for the third time in his last four games. 
  • Also posted his second-best totals of the season with six assists and five rebounds. 
• Ben Humrichous finished with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc, his sixth game of the season with multiple triples.

Team Notes:

• Thursday's win snaps a two-game losing streak vs. top-25 ranked opponents for the Illini. 
• The 13-point margin of victory vs. the 19th-ranked Razorbacks is the largest for an unranked Illini team against a top-25 opponent under head coach Brad Underwood.  
• Illinois improved to 6-1 all-time in the series vs. Arkansas
• The Illini are now 5-1 all-time when playing on Thanksgiving Day, including a 2-0 mark under Underwood.
• Underwood has now led the Illini to 149 wins, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the program's all-time coaching wins list. 
• Underwood has led the Illini to 25 victories over top-25 ranked opponents. Illinois has claimed 23 of those victories since 2019-20, tied for seventh most in the country over the last 5+ seasons. 
• The Illini opened the game on an 11-0 run, going 4-for-6 from the field during that nearly four-minute stretch.
• Seven Illini registered at least one 3-pointer against the Razorbacks, the third time this season with at least seven Illinois scorers with a triple.
• The Illini went 15-for-31 from 3-point range, their third game with 15+ triples this season.
  • The team's 48.4% on 3-point attempts marked their best 3-point percentage this year.
• The Illini outrebounded the Razorbacks, 34-31, and has now won the rebounding battle in all seven contests this season.