ST. LOUIS – #20 Illinois cruised to a 91-48 win over Missouri in the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Monday night.
Outscoring the Tigers 50-23 in the second half, the Fighting Illini tallied their largest margin of victory against the Tigers and extended their winning streak in the series to three games.
Keaton Wagler finished with a game-high 22 points after going off for 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the first half. Knocking down a career-high five 3-pointers, the freshman guard also tallied eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Tomislav Ivisic turned in his eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season, going for 14 points while making three 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds and an assist.
Andrej Stojakovic amassed 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting, logging three rebounds, two assists, and a block. David Mirkovic collected nine points, five rebounds, five assists, a block, and a steal.
Zvonimir Ivisic secured eight points, a season-high 11 rebounds, and three rebounds off the bench, while Ben Humrichous buried three 3-pointers en route to a nine-point performance.
Shooting 52% from the field, the Illini dominated the glass all night, outrebounding the Tigers by a 43-24 margin while scoring 29 second-chance points on 15 offensive boards.
After a slow start to the first half that saw neither side led by more than three through the opening eight minutes, a quick five-point run helped Illinois grab a 19-14 edge.
The Tigers reduced their deficit to three, but an 11-2 run across the next two-and-a-half minutes pushed the Orange and Blue's advantage to double figures for the first time. The Illini knocked down three 3-pointers during that stretch en route to a 32-20 lead.
Holding Missouri to only one field goal across the final four minutes of the frame, the Illini closed the first half on a 9-3 scoring stretch and entered the break with a 41-25 lead. Ahead by as many as 17 during the opening 20 minutes, Wagler led all scorers with 16 first-half points.
The Illini used an 11-2 run, sandwiched by Tomislav Ivisic 3-pointers, to extend their lead to 24 early in the second half. That 90-second stretch saw the Tigers take a timeout with the Orange and Blue in front, 52-28, with 17:40 remaining.
After Missouri ended a two-minute scoring drought, the Illini responded with a 7-2 run, establishing a 59-33 edge after keeping the Tigers without a field goal for nearly six minutes of game time.
Illinois continued to capitalize on its defensive dominance, piecing together a 10-1 stretch on the back of a four-minute field goal drought from the Tigers.
Leading by as many as 43 late in the contest, the Illini improved to 9-3 behind their third consecutive McBride Homes Braggin' Rights victory.
#20 Illinois returns to State Farm Center on Dec. 29 for its final nonconference contest of the regular season. The Fighting Illini will host Southern at 2 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
HIGHLIGHTS
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes
- Keaton Wagler paced the Illini scoring attack with 22 points on an efficient 7-for-11 from the field on a scorching hot 5-for-6 clip from deep. He also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots, and had two steals.
- Recorded his third 20-point outing of his career.
- Scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game and for his ninth time overall this season.
- Connected on a career-high five 3-pointers.
- Went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half.
- Matched his career-high with eight rebounds (four offensive)
- His eighth game of the season with multiple offensive boards.
- Tied career-high marks with two blocks and two steals.
- Was a +42 in the game, a team-best mark.
- Andrej Stojakovic tallied 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting with three rebounds and two assists.
- Totaled double-digit points for the third straight game and for the seventh time overall this season.
- Tied his season-high with two 3-pointers.
- Tomislav Ivisic turned in 14 points, five rebounds, and an assist.
- Scored double-digit points for the fifth time this season.
- Equaled his season-high with three 3-pointers.
- Knocked down multiple 3-pointers for the fourth time.
- David Mirkovic finished with nine points, five rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal.
- Tied his career-high with five assists.
- Also dished out five assists vs. UTRGV (11/24/25).
- Posted his fourth game with a block this season.
- Tallied his third outing with at least one steal.
- Zvonimir Ivisic logged eight points, a game-high 11 rebounds, three blocks, and an assist off the bench.
- Secured a season-high 11 rebounds.
- Corralled double-digit boards for the first time this season.
- Tallied a season-most four offensive rebounds.
- Had multiple offensive boards for the third time this season.
- Grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in the first half.
- Logged his sixth game with multiple blocks this season.
- Ben Humrichous buried three 3-pointers and finished with nine points, two rebounds, and an assist.
- Knocked down at least three 3-pointers for the third time this season.
Team Notes
- Starters: Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Keaton Wagler.
- Illinois' 43-point margin of victory is its largest in series history, which dates back to the sides' first meeting in 1932.
- The Illini's 43-point win marked their largest margin of victory against a power-conference opponent since Jan. 21, 2004, when Illinois defeated Penn State by 43 points (80-37).
- The Illini held the Tigers to 48 points, the fewest by a power-conference opponent since Illinois held Syracuse to 44 points in a 73-44 win on Nov. 29, 2022.
- Illinois had a season-high 29 second-chance points compared to Missouri's five.
- Held an 18-5 advantage in the first half.
- Turned in those 29 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds.
- The Illini's 29 second-chance points are their most since posting 30 at Michigan on March 2, 2025.
- The Illini blocked eight shots while the Tigers only blocked one (6-0 at halftime).
- Illinois held Missouri to 28.6% shooting from the floor.
- This marked the lowest shooting percentage allowed against a power-4 opponent since Syracuse on Nov. 29, 2022 (27.8%).
- Illinois outrebounded Missouri, 43-24.
- The Illini knocked down 15 3-pointers, their second-most this season and their most against a power-conference opponent since Jan. 2, 2025.
- Illinois registered 20 assists on 30 made field goals, the team's second outing with 20+ assists this season.
- Illinois has won three straight Braggin' Rights matchups, the program's longest win streak in the rivalry series since a set of five consecutive from 2013-17.
- Illinois is 15-8 all-time in Braggin' Rights games when the Orange and Blue are ranked.
- The Illini are now 19-3 in Braggin' Rights matchups contested at Enterprise Center
- Illinois is now 2-1 this season vs. SEC opponents, with all three contests coming on neutral floors.
- The Illini lost to No. 11 Alabama, 90-86, on Nov. 18 at United Center in Chicago, and defeated No. 13 Tennessee, 75-62, on Dec. 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
- Illinois improved to a combined 4-3 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 on the season.
- Illinois is 661-270 (.710) all-time when ranked, including a 139-64 (.685) at neutral sites.
- Monday's victory marked the Illini's 100th win as a ranked team under head coach Brad Underwood (100-45, .690).
