Jakucionis' 3-pointer completes Illinois' rally for 88-80 win over No.
18 Purdue
[March 08, 2025]
By STEVE STEIN
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kasparas Jakucionis hit a
3-pointer with 40 seconds left to put Illinois ahead for good, and the
Illini rallied past No. 18 Purdue 88-80 on Friday night.
Illinois (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) trailed 63-53 with 11:34
to go, but outscored the Boilermakers 13-1 in the final two minutes to
win its third in a row after losing three straight. |
Illinois' Will Riley, right, advances the ball against Purdue's Fletcher
Loyer, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game,
Friday, March 7, 2025, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Craig Pessman) |
|
Will Riley led five Illinois players in double
figures with 22 points. Tre White had 20 points and nine
rebounds, and Jakucionis had 10 points and seven assists.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 29 points for Purdue (21-10, 13-7) and
Braden Smith had 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds,
falling just short of the second triple-double in team history.
Takeaways
Illinois: The Illini joined Gonzaga, Houston and San Diego State
as the only teams in the country to have at least 20
regular-season wins in each of the last six years.
Purdue: Smith is among the favorites for Big Ten Player of the
Year. Kaufman-Renn, the team’s leading scorer, also deserves
consideration because he's the Boilermakers' only inside threat.
Key moment
Riley made a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to end a
personal seven-point run and get Illinois within 42-40.
Key stat
The teams combined for 32 3-pointers in their previous game,
with the Boilermakers making 18. But Purdue went inside against
Illinois this time, outscoring the Illini 44-28 in the paint
while going 5 of 18 from behind the arc. Illinois was 11 of 30
on 3s.
Up next
Both teams begin Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday.
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