Brice Williams takes over in OT and finishes with 27 in Nebraska's 80-74 win over No. 18 Illinois

[January 31, 2025]  By ERIC OLSON

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Brice Williams scored eight points in overtime and finished with 27 as Nebraska ended a six-game losing streak with an 80-74 win over No. 18 Illinois on Thursday night.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood, right, speaks to a referee, left, as his team plays against Nebraska during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

The Huskers (13-8, 3-7 Big Ten) never trailed while knocking off a third ranked opponent in the same season for the first time since 2013-14.

Illinois (14-7, 6-5) lost for the first time in 10 meetings with the Huskers and for the first time in four visits to Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Connor Essegian scored 14 points off the bench and Juwan Gary added 13 for the Huskers.

Kasparas Jakucionis led the Illini with 18 points, Wes Riley made four 3-pointers while scoring 16 points and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 15.

Williams made three straight shots and a pair of free throws to put the Huskers up by eight points in overtime. He broke a 72-all tie with a shot from the wing, muscled in for an inside basket and then hit a baseline jumper.

Takeaways
Illinois: Tomislav Ivisic, the 7-foot-1 center and the team's second-leading scorer, missed his third straight game with mononucleosis. The Illini have lost four of their last six.

Nebraska: The Huskers rediscovered their identity as a gritty and defense-oriented team, holding the Illini to 28% shooting in the first half and 35.6% for the game.

Key moment
Gibbs-Lawhorn’s 3-pointer with 47.2 seconds left in regulation pulled Illinois into a tie for the first time since the game was scoreless. He came into the game shooting 29% on 3s.

Key stat
The Huskers, who matched their season low with six turnovers, scored 17 points off Illinois' 17 turnovers.

Up next
Illinois hosts Ohio State on Sunday, and Nebraska visits No. 16 Oregon the same day.

All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved