Will Riley and Kasparas Jakucionis key resurgence for No. 23 Illinois in 95-74 romp past Minnesota
AP
Feb 08, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Will Riley had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists off the bench and Kasparas Jakucionis had 24 points to help No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini get back on track with a 95-74 victory over Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night.
Tomislav Ivisic added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini (16-8, 8-6 Big Ten), who lost four of their previous six games.
Femi Odukale had a season-high 22 points and Lu'Cye Patterson added 19 for the Gophers (12-12, 4-9), who got only 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the Big Ten's second-leading scorer Dawson Garcia.
Illnesses and injuries factored in the recent struggles for the Illini. Despite 7-foot-1 center Ivisic playing through an ankle injury suffered during a loss at Rutgers on Thursday, they were closer to full strength - and it showed. The nation's leading rebounding team had a 50-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Illinois has won eight straight in the series by an average margin of 18 points and is 38-8 against Minnesota in this century.
Illinois: Jakucionis, the freshman standout from Lithuania, matched his career high in scoring to fuel the ninth game of 90-plus points for the Illini this season. This team is averaging 85 points per game, the highest mark since the 1988-89 team that reached the NCAA Final Four.
Minnesota: Despite hitting their first three 3-pointers for the fast start they wanted, the Gophers had nothing else to lean on when their outside shots cooled off.
After Odukale’s 3-pointer cut Minnesota’s deficit to seven, Ivisic backed Patterson into the paint and used an 11-inch height advantage for a drop-step layup with 1:45 left before halftime.
The Illini are 33-25 in Big Ten road games over the last six seasons, the best record in the conference.
Illinois hosts UCLA on Tuesday. Minnesota plays at USC next Saturday.
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1st Half
ILL
Fighting Illini
46
MINN
Golden Gophers
35
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Morez Johnson Jr. vs. Dawson Garcia (Golden Gophers gains possession)
19:43
+3
Dawson Garcia makes three point jump shot (Femi Odukale assists)
0-3
19:26
Tomislav Ivisic turnover (lost ball) (Parker Fox steals)
19:20
+3
Mike Mitchell Jr. makes three point jump shot (Dawson Garcia assists)
0-6
19:04
Kasparas Jakucionis misses two point layup
19:02
Tomislav Ivisic offensive rebound
18:57
+2
Tomislav Ivisic makes two point layup
2-6
18:43
+3
Femi Odukale makes three point jump shot (Mike Mitchell Jr. assists)
2-9
18:29
Parker Fox shooting foul (Kylan Boswell draws the foul)
18:29
+1
Kylan Boswell makes regular free throw 1 of 2
3-9
18:29
+1
Kylan Boswell makes regular free throw 2 of 2
4-9
18:09
Femi Odukale misses three point jump shot
18:07
Parker Fox offensive rebound
18:03
Parker Fox misses two point hook shot
18:01
Morez Johnson Jr. defensive rebound
17:47
Ben Humrichous misses three point jump shot
17:45
Kasparas Jakucionis offensive rebound
17:38
Kasparas Jakucionis misses two point jump shot
17:36
Morez Johnson Jr. offensive rebound
17:32
+2
Morez Johnson Jr. makes two point dunk
6-9
17:14
Mike Mitchell Jr. turnover (bad pass)
16:55
Mike Mitchell Jr. shooting foul (Ben Humrichous draws the foul)
16:55
+1
Ben Humrichous makes regular free throw 1 of 2
7-9
16:55
Ben Humrichous misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:55
Femi Odukale defensive rebound
16:40
+3
Femi Odukale makes three point jump shot (Mike Mitchell Jr. assists)
7-12
16:21
Femi Odukale blocks Kasparas Jakucionis's two point layup
16:19
Trey Edmonds defensive rebound
15:57
Trey Edmonds misses two point layup
15:55
Ben Humrichous defensive rebound
15:47
+2
Tomislav Ivisic makes two point jump shot (Ben Humrichous assists)
9-12
15:29
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point jump shot (Femi Odukale assists)
9-14
15:17
+2
Kasparas Jakucionis makes two point layup (Tomislav Ivisic assists)
11-14
14:49
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point jump shot
11-16
14:35
+3
Tomislav Ivisic makes three point jump shot (Kasparas Jakucionis assists)
14-16
14:04
Dawson Garcia misses two point layup
14:02
Will Riley defensive rebound
13:57
+2
Will Riley makes two point layup (Kylan Boswell assists)
16-16
13:30
Tomislav Ivisic personal foul
13:30
TV timeout
13:28
Dawson Garcia misses three point jump shot
13:26
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn defensive rebound
13:07
Will Riley misses two point jump shot
13:05
Jake Davis offensive rebound
13:04
+2
Jake Davis makes two point layup
18-16
12:45
Jake Davis blocks Brennan Rigsby's two point dunk
12:43
Will Riley defensive rebound
12:29
+2
Will Riley makes two point layup (Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn assists)
20-16
12:09
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn personal foul
12:00
+2
Isaac Asuma makes two point layup
20-18
11:36
Morez Johnson Jr. misses two point layup
11:34
Morez Johnson Jr. offensive rebound
11:34
Isaac Asuma personal foul (Morez Johnson Jr. draws the foul)
11:34
TV timeout
11:27
Femi Odukale blocks Will Riley's two point jump shot
11:25
Will Riley offensive rebound
11:21
+2
Jake Davis makes two point layup (Will Riley assists)
22-18
10:51
Brennan Rigsby misses two point jump shot
10:49
Jake Davis defensive rebound
10:33
Brennan Rigsby personal foul
10:27
Kasparas Jakucionis misses three point jump shot
10:25
Dawson Garcia defensive rebound
10:06
Tomislav Ivisic blocks Dawson Garcia's two point layup
10:04
Tomislav Ivisic defensive rebound
10:00
Frank Mitchell shooting foul (Kasparas Jakucionis draws the foul)
10:00
+1
Kasparas Jakucionis makes regular free throw 1 of 2
23-18
10:00
+1
Kasparas Jakucionis makes regular free throw 2 of 2
24-18
9:49
Mike Mitchell Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Tomislav Ivisic steals)
9:41
Frank Mitchell blocks Morez Johnson Jr.'s two point dunk
9:41
Fighting Illini offensive rebound
9:41
Jump ball. Morez Johnson Jr. vs. Frank Mitchell (Fighting Illini gains possession)
9:38
Frank Mitchell blocks Will Riley's two point layup
9:33
Brennan Rigsby defensive rebound
9:27
Brennan Rigsby misses two point layup
9:25
Will Riley defensive rebound
9:12
Morez Johnson Jr. misses two point layup
9:10
Frank Mitchell defensive rebound
8:47
+2
Dawson Garcia makes two point layup
24-20
8:38
Kylan Boswell misses two point jump shot
8:36
Dawson Garcia defensive rebound
8:26
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point jump shot
24-22
8:09
+3
Tomislav Ivisic makes three point jump shot (Will Riley assists)
27-22
7:36
Kylan Boswell personal foul
7:36
TV timeout
7:16
Dawson Garcia misses three point jump shot
7:14
Golden Gophers offensive rebound
7:14
Golden Gophers turnover (shot clock violation)
6:50
+2
Kasparas Jakucionis makes two point layup (Tomislav Ivisic assists)
29-22
6:27
Lu'Cye Patterson misses three point jump shot
6:25
Tomislav Ivisic defensive rebound
6:15
Lu'Cye Patterson personal foul
6:05
+2
Ben Humrichous makes two point jump shot
31-22
5:38
Jump ball. Femi Odukale vs. Ben Humrichous (Golden Gophers gains possession)
5:33
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point layup
31-24
5:33
Morez Johnson Jr. shooting foul (Lu'Cye Patterson draws the foul)
5:33
+1
Lu'Cye Patterson makes regular free throw 1 of 1
31-25
5:12
Lu'Cye Patterson blocks Kasparas Jakucionis's two point jump shot
5:10
Lu'Cye Patterson defensive rebound
5:07
Ben Humrichous blocks Lu'Cye Patterson's two point layup
5:05
Golden Gophers offensive rebound
4:58
Femi Odukale misses two point jump shot
4:56
Ben Humrichous defensive rebound
4:43
Isaac Asuma personal foul (Kylan Boswell draws the foul)
4:43
Kylan Boswell misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:43
Ben Humrichous offensive rebound
4:40
+2
Kylan Boswell makes two point layup (Kasparas Jakucionis assists)
33-25
4:17
Femi Odukale misses two point layup
4:15
Will Riley defensive rebound
4:12
Femi Odukale personal foul (Will Riley draws the foul)
4:12
+1
Will Riley makes regular free throw 1 of 2
34-25
4:12
+1
Will Riley makes regular free throw 2 of 2
35-25
3:55
+2
Parker Fox makes two point layup (Lu'Cye Patterson assists)
35-27
3:55
Morez Johnson Jr. shooting foul (Parker Fox draws the foul)
3:55
TV timeout
3:55
+1
Parker Fox makes regular free throw 1 of 1
35-28
3:43
+3
Ben Humrichous makes three point jump shot (Will Riley assists)
38-28
3:23
Lu'Cye Patterson misses two point jump shot
3:21
Kylan Boswell defensive rebound
3:15
+2
Kasparas Jakucionis makes two point layup (Kylan Boswell assists)
40-28
3:11
Golden Gophers 30 second timeout
2:54
Ben Humrichous shooting foul (Dawson Garcia draws the foul)
2:54
+1
Dawson Garcia makes regular free throw 1 of 2
40-29
2:54
+1
Dawson Garcia makes regular free throw 2 of 2
40-30
2:31
Will Riley misses three point jump shot
2:29
Golden Gophers defensive rebound
2:07
+3
Femi Odukale makes three point jump shot (Lu'Cye Patterson assists)
40-33
1:45
+2
Tomislav Ivisic makes two point layup (Will Riley assists)
42-33
1:25
Dawson Garcia misses three point jump shot
1:23
Tomislav Ivisic defensive rebound
1:05
Mike Mitchell Jr. shooting foul (Kasparas Jakucionis draws the foul)
1:05
+1
Kasparas Jakucionis makes regular free throw 1 of 2
43-33
1:05
+1
Kasparas Jakucionis makes regular free throw 2 of 2
44-33
0:41
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point jump shot
44-35
0:26
+2
Will Riley makes two point layup (Kylan Boswell assists)
46-35
0:26
Fighting Illini 30 second timeout
0:04
Lu'Cye Patterson misses two point jump shot
0:02
Tomislav Ivisic defensive rebound
0:00
End of period
2nd Half
ILL
Fighting Illini
49
MINN
Golden Gophers
39
Time
Team
Play
Score
19:43
Parker Fox shooting foul (Morez Johnson Jr. draws the foul)
19:43
+1
Morez Johnson Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
47-35
19:43
+1
Morez Johnson Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
48-35
19:24
Mike Mitchell Jr. misses three point jump shot
19:22
Tomislav Ivisic defensive rebound
19:03
+3
Kasparas Jakucionis makes three point jump shot (Ben Humrichous assists)
51-35
18:45
+2
Femi Odukale makes two point jump shot
51-37
18:32
Femi Odukale personal foul
18:24
Kasparas Jakucionis misses three point jump shot
18:22
Parker Fox defensive rebound
18:21
Morez Johnson Jr. personal foul
18:06
+2
Femi Odukale makes two point jump shot
51-39
17:53
Tomislav Ivisic turnover (bad pass) (Mike Mitchell Jr. steals)
17:40
Mike Mitchell Jr. misses three point jump shot
17:38
Dawson Garcia offensive rebound
17:34
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point jump shot (Parker Fox assists)
51-41
17:07
Dawson Garcia shooting foul (Kasparas Jakucionis draws the foul)
17:07
+1
Kasparas Jakucionis makes regular free throw 1 of 2
52-41
17:07
+1
Kasparas Jakucionis makes regular free throw 2 of 2
53-41
16:56
+2
Parker Fox makes two point dunk (Femi Odukale assists)
53-43
16:34
+3
Kasparas Jakucionis makes three point jump shot (Will Riley assists)
56-43
16:16
Femi Odukale misses two point layup
16:14
Parker Fox offensive rebound
16:13
Parker Fox misses two point layup
16:11
Ben Humrichous defensive rebound
16:07
Official timeout
15:51
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn turnover (lost ball) (Mike Mitchell Jr. steals)
15:47
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn personal foul
15:47
TV timeout
15:35
Dawson Garcia misses two point layup
15:33
Femi Odukale offensive rebound
15:32
Femi Odukale misses two point layup
15:31
Dawson Garcia offensive rebound
15:31
Tomislav Ivisic shooting foul (Dawson Garcia draws the foul)
15:31
+1
Dawson Garcia makes regular free throw 1 of 2
56-44
15:31
Dawson Garcia misses regular free throw 2 of 2
15:31
Will Riley defensive rebound
15:09
Tomislav Ivisic turnover (traveling)
14:49
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point layup (Femi Odukale assists)
56-46
14:29
+2
Will Riley makes two point layup
58-46
14:03
Will Riley blocks Lu'Cye Patterson's two point layup
14:01
Ben Humrichous defensive rebound
13:47
Ben Humrichous misses three point jump shot
13:45
Ben Humrichous offensive rebound
13:39
Lu'Cye Patterson personal foul (Kasparas Jakucionis draws the foul)
13:39
Official timeout
13:39
TV timeout
13:25
+3
Ben Humrichous makes three point jump shot (Will Riley assists)
61-46
12:58
Dawson Garcia misses two point jump shot
12:56
Isaac Asuma offensive rebound
12:55
+2
Femi Odukale makes two point layup
61-48
12:34
Will Riley misses two point jump shot
12:32
Dawson Garcia defensive rebound
12:15
+2
Lu'Cye Patterson makes two point layup (Mike Mitchell Jr. assists)