Illinois Basketball Begins to Build Momentum with Strong Win Over Iowa
Center Tomislav Ivisic helped Illinois shift from a tough blowout to a more positive direction with a solid performance against Iowa on Tuesday.
Is this a turning point? It’s too early to say, but Illinois’ 81-61 victory over Iowa at State Farm Center in Champaign on Tuesday certainly serves as a step toward improvement.
Ivisic led the way with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, guiding Illinois (18-11, 10-8) to end a three-game losing streak and recover from the devastating loss to Duke on Saturday in New York City.
For Iowa (15-13, 6-11), it was their third loss in four games and the sixth in their last eight, leaving them in a vulnerable position as they fight to stay in the Big Ten Tournament, which is critical for their season.
From the start, Illinois made it clear that they would run their offense through Ivisic. They used high-screen-and-roll plays with him and point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, and the strategy paid off quickly. Ivisic scored on Illinois’ first two possessions and had 11 points during a 19-6 run to open the game.
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However, when Ivisic took a break at the 10:57 mark of the first half, Illinois struggled. After a layup by Jakucionis, Iowa went on a 9-0 run to narrow the lead to two. The Illini regained control after Ivisic returned and scored with a smooth reverse layup to get the offense back on track.
Two quick layups by Kylan Boswell late in the half gave Illinois a 37-30 lead at the break and kept the pressure on Iowa’s defense. This came after a rough stretch when Ivisic was off the floor, exposing some of Illinois’ bad habits.
In the second half, Will Riley found his rhythm, scoring 13 of his 15 points after the break. Ivisic, Riley, Boswell (15 points), and Tre White (14 points) all scored in double digits for the Illini. Jakucionis, despite scoring little, contributed effectively with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, and just one turnover.
Even in a 20-point win, there were some concerns for Illinois: In an unexpected turn, Iowa won the rebounding battle 38-30, and although the Illini shot well overall, they struggled with a 31.0 percent (9-for-29) performance from three-point range.
Still, Illinois shot 50.8 percent overall, focusing on scoring in the paint (42 points) and limiting turnovers to just five—matching their season-low.
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