Jakucionis’ return sparks Illini into heated 94-69 rout at Indiana

Kasparas Jakucionis it’s very good. More than good, it’s actually great. And so do the Illini when the star freshman is on the court.

After missing the previous two games with a left forearm injury, Jakucionis returned to full strength Tuesday, scoring a game-high 21 points and dishing out five assists to lead the 19th-ranked team. Illinois to a dominant 94-69 victory at Indiana.

Jakucionis showed himself from the first minutes to Indiana that he was back at full strength — and the Illini were back at full strength — scoring eight points and dishing out an assist in the first 150 seconds. And the Illini never gave up, building a 30-point lead at one point in the first half against the Hoosiers, the preseason pick in a conference media poll to win the Big Ten.

Despite the unbalanced score, the match became difficult with six technical fouls called with Oumar Ballo being sent off at the end of the match for a Flagrant 2 foul after pushing Tomislav Ivisic. Former Illini forward Luc Goode was called for a technical examination, as was Myles Rice for Indiana and Illini players Ivisic, Tre Blanc And Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn all also received technical fouls.

Kylan Boswell scored a game-high 22 points (13 in the second half) for Illinois (13-4, 5-2 Big Ten) to go along with seven rebounds and three steals to help Indiana earn its second straight 20-plus loss points. Illini Center Tomislav Ivisic had 17 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 12 points coming off the bench.

Illinois shot 11 of 32 from three, while Indiana didn’t make its first 3-pointer until the 35th minute of the game, finishing 4 of 18 from beyond the arc.

Oumar Ballo led the Hoosiers with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Goode added 13 points, Myles Rice had 12 points and Trey Galloway had 10 points and five assists.

Jakucionis made a 3-pointer on the Illini’s first possession, then made a layup, an assist to Ivisic and another 3-pointer to give Illinois an early 10-6 lead. Illinois then went on a 17-4 run, sparked by 11 second-chance points off five offensive rebounds, to take a 27-12 lead into the second media timeout. And Illinois didn’t give up. The Illini made six 3-pointers – three by Ivisic – in 2:34 of game time during a 25-8 run to extend their lead to 52-22 with 4:51 left in the first half . After Indiana used a 10-3 lead to cut the deficit to 55-32, Illinois ended the half on a 5-0 run to take a 60-32 lead at halftime. time, with Indiana fans booing the Hoosiers off the field.

Indiana started the second half on a 16-4 run, including eight made free throws, to cut the deficit to 64-48, but the Illini responded with a 15-3 run, highlighted by five points each of Boswell and Dra Gibbs-Lawhornto end Indian’s hopes by taking a 79-51 lead.

Late in the match, Ivisic opposed Goode’s hard takedown, earning Goode a foul. Ivisic then taunted Goode to get a technical foul, and Ballo pushed Ivisic to get a Flagrant 2 foul and an ejection. Gibbs-Lawhorn and Rice also committed a technical foul during the skirmish.

What this means: This entire team, especially with Jakucionis at the helm, remains a Big Ten and national contender. The Illini’s speed is overwhelming thanks to a powerful offense and better-than-expected defense, and the Illini have now eliminated two Big Ten teams that were considered contenders entering the season (Oregon and Indiana), showing their immense ceiling. While the Northwest And U.S.C. The losses show that this team has some volatility, these dominant wins show that the Illini can defeat NCAA tournament caliber teams. Additionally, Illinois once again responded to a loss, and Brad Underwood’s program has yet to suffer back-to-back losses since the end of the 2022-23 season.

The star of the game: Jakucionis dominated the Illini’s first-half blowout with 19 first-half points on 6-of-10 shooting (3-of-6 threes) and four assists. He set the tone from the start, and Indiana had no answer for him. Jakucionis punished the Hoosiers for going under screens and defending it with smaller players. The only thing that could slow him down was a foul in the second half. Yes, the Illini are much better with a top 10 pick in the NBA draft. Shocking.

Game statistics

• Illinois cruised past Indiana 51-37.
• Illinois had 19 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds.
• Illinois scored 9 points off 11 Indiana turnovers, while Illinois only had six turnovers.
• Illinois outscored Indiana 34-26 in the paint.
• Illinois outscored Indiana 33-12 from three.
• Five technical fouls were called in the match.
• Illinois led for 38:54 in 40 minutes.

Do not neglect: Former Illinois forward Luc Goode was involved in all five technical fouls in the game. Goode was booked for a flagrant foul in the first half for an elbow to Jakucionis’ face. Goode was then shot in the head by Tre Blanc in the second half it was whistled for a flagrant foul. He then had a hard box that earned a foul and drew the ire of Ivisic, who started the skirmish that led to Ballo’s push and ejection.

What’s next: Illinois heading to 12th place Michigan State for information Sunday at 11 a.m. (CBS). Starting Wednesday’s home game against State of PennsylvaniaThe Spartans (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) have won nine straight games, the third-longest active winning streak in the country. Jaden Akins leads the Spartans with 14.1 points per game, and eight other MSU players average between 5.9 points and 9.7 points per game. During conference play, redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 assists, while freshman guard Jace Richardson is averaging 9.6 points. . Illinois won four of five games against Michigan State, but lost 88-80 in East Lansing last season, blowing an eight-point lead with 7:38 left before MSU closed the game on a 24-run streak. -8.