CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 24 Illinois closed the calendar year with a dominant 117-64 win over Chicago State at State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon.
Never trailing in the contest, the Fighting Illini surpassed the 100-point mark for the second time this season in the team's final home nonconference game of the campaign.
Kylan Boswell secured the seventh triple-double in program history, filling the box score with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Setting new career-best marks in rebounds and assists, Boswell posted the first triple-double of his career after scoring in double figures for the fourth-consecutive game.
Tomislav Ivisic scored a career-high 23 points while shooting 9-for-12 from the field. Connecting on three 3-pointers, Ivisic equaled his season-best output with five assists, and he grabbed four rebounds and made two blocks.
Morez Johnson Jr. also set a new career-best scoring mark, finishing with 11 points while going 4-for-5 from the field. He also corralled eight rebounds and made two blocks and a career-high three steals.
Scoring in double figures for the seventh-straight game, Kasparas Jakucionis totaled 14 points on an efficient 6-for-8 clip. He also accumulated four assists, four rebounds, and a steal.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn also finished in double figures, accumulating 16 points while shooting 7-for-9 and 2-for-4 from 3-point range. Gibbs-Lawhorn tallied two of his three rebounds on the offensive glass and made two steals.
Will Riley posted his eighth outing with double-digit points, adding 13 points and four rebounds off the bench.
After Ivisic scored six of the Illini's first eight points, the Orange and Blue's advantage climbed to 14-7 within the first five minutes of play. Behind a stretch that included Illinois making 10 of 13 shots from the field, the hosts used a 29-3 run to establish a 37-10 edge. Five different players made a 3-pointer and six different Illini scorers registered points during the span of eight-and-a-half-minutes.
The home side's lead continued to grow, eclipsing the 30-point mark for the first time with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. A 13-0 run late in the frame helped the Illini take a 57-18 edge with less than 90 seconds left in the opening period, and the Orange and Blue eventually went into the break with a 60-24 advantage.
Ivisic recorded a game-high 18 points in the first half, while seven players connected from deep across the opening 20 minutes of action.
A 5-0 Illini run to start the second half pushed the hosts' lead to 65-24 within the first two minutes of the period. Just under two minutes later, Illinois began an 11-2 run to add onto its advantage, which saw the home side's lead climb to 46 points with 14:05 left in the contest.
The Orange and Blue's edge moved above 50 for the first time just over halfway through the final frame, while the Illini scored their 100th point of the afternoon just under two minutes later.
Gibbs-Lawhorn's emphatic poster dunk with 3:55 remaining and Boswell's 10th assist late in the game to seal his triple-double capped off a resounding victory for the Orange and Blue, which led by as many as 58.
No. 24 Illinois resumes its Big Ten slate with its first conference road trip to the West Coast. The Fighting Illini will take on No. 9 Oregon away from home on Thursday at 9 p.m. CT, with the game set to be televised nationally on FS1.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Kylan Boswell posted his first-career triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
- Seventh triple-double in program history.
- Set career highs for rebounds (10) and assists (10).
- Has at least seven rebounds in three straight games, a season-best streak.
- Scored in double figures for the fourth-straight game, extending his season-long streak.
- Tomislav Ivisic recorded a career-high with a game-leading 23 points.
- Reached double-figures for the 10th time this season, tying for the team lead with Kasparas Jakucionis.
- Had a game-high 18 points in the first half.
- Third game of the season with 20+ points.
- Made multiple 3-pointers for the fifth time this season.
- Matched his career-high with five assists.
- Tied his season high with nine field goals.
- Kasparas Jakucionis tallied 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
- Reached double-figures scoring for the seventh straight game and the 10th time on the season, tying for the team lead with Tomislav Ivisic.
- Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn posted 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
- Scored in double figures for the second time this season.
- Set a season-high by dishing out two assists.
- Tied season high with three rebounds.
- Tied his career high with two steals,
- Will Riley posted 13 points and four rebounds.
- Scored in double figures for the eighth time this season, his highest point total since Nov. 25 vs. Little Rock.
- Marked his sixth game of the season with at least four rebounds.
- Morez Johnson Jr. tallied 11 points, eight rebounds, and a game-high three blocks.
- Eclipsed his career-high scoring total of 10 set Nov. 23 vs. UMES.
- Set a career-high in field goals made (4).
- Third game of the season with multiple blocks.
- Tied a season-high with two steals.
- Jake Davis scored a season-high six points on 2-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.
- Keaton Kutcher knocked down the first 3-pointer of his career to finish with a career-high three points.
- Kutcher's triple came off a pass from Kylan Boswell to complete Boswell's triple-double.
Team Notes:
- Starting lineup: Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, Tomislav Ivisic, Kasparas Jakucionis, Tre White
- Head coach Brad Underwood moved into sole possession of fourth place on the Fighting Illini all-time coaching wins list with his 152nd victory at Illinois.
- Scored a season-high 117 points and shot a season-best .621 (41-66) from the field.
- 41 field goals marked a season-most.
- Recorded a season-most 26 assists.
- Knocked down 15 of 33 attempts (.455) from 3-point range.
- Fourth game of the season with at least 15 triples.
- Outrebounded Chicago State 47-23 to improve to 9-2 on the season when winning the battle of the boards.
- Posted 15 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds while allowing just 11 second-chance points for CSU.
- Held CSU to 23 rebounds, a season-low for an Illini opponent.
- Also recorded advantages in points off turnovers (21-10), points in the paint (48-16), fast break points (18-8), and bench scoring (50-12).
- Scored a season-high 60 points in the first half.
