Keaton Wagler scores 17, No. 16 Illinois defeats Rutgers 81-55
[January 09, 2026]
By STEVE STEIN
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Keaton Wagler scored 17 points
and pulled down seven rebounds and Tomislav Ivisic had 14 points to lead
No. 16 Illinois to an 81-55 victory over Rutgers on Thursday night.
Andrej Stojakovic had 12 points and eight rebounds, Jake Davis scored a
dozen points and David Mirkovich grabbed eight rebounds for the Illini
(12-3, 3-1 Big Ten), who won their fourth straight. |
Rutgers' Harun Zrno fights for position against Illinois' Zvonimir
Ivisic during an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in
Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Craig Pessman) |
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Illinois was 18 of 21 at the free-throw line. The Illini lead
the Big Ten and are No. 3 in the country in free-throw
percentage.
Kaden Powers scored 12 points and Harun Zrno had 11 points for
Rutgers (8-8, 1-4).
Illinois went on a 20-0 run in the final 7 1/2 minutes of the
first half and led 43-16 at halftime. Davis scored all 12 of his
points on four 3-pointers in the first half, just four fewer
points than the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers shot 21% from the floor in the opening half (6 of 28)
including 2 of 13 on 3s and was 2 of 6 on free throws.
Tariq Francis, Rutgers' leading scorer, had an off night. He
scored six points on 3 of 10 shooting while playing just 17
minutes after averaging 25 points in the Scarlet Knights'
previous four games.
Francis has had two 30-point games this season. He's the only
Big Ten player in the last 10 seasons with multiple 30-point
games off the bench in the same season.
Illinois improved to 9-0 at home vs. Rutgers, 8-0 in Big Ten
games since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2015.
The Illini are 14-5 overall against Rutgers, although the teams
split their previous eight games.
Up next
Rutgers: Home vs. Northwestern on Sunday.
Illinois: Plays Sunday at No. 19 Iowa.
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