Illinois rebounds with rout of Indiana
Kylan Boswell scored 22 points, Kasparas Jakucionis added 21 and No. 19 Illinois opened a 28-point halftime lead Tuesday night in a 94-69 blowout of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana.
Tomislav Ivisic had 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Fighting Illini (13-4, 5-2 Big Ten) bounced back from a double-digit loss at home to Southern California.
This time, Illinois left no doubt as Jakucionis and Ivisic combined for 34 first-half points to give the Illini a 60-32 halftime lead thanks largely to their dominance inside.
Indiana scored the first 10 points of the second half but never got closer than 16.
Oumar Ballo led the Hoosiers (13-5, 5-4) with 16 points and 15 rebounds and was involved in a brief shoving match with 2:24 left. Luke Goode, the former Illinois three-point specialist, added 13 points for Indiana, which fell to 11-1 at home.
Indiana played without starting forward Malik Reneau. All five Hoosiers losses this season have come by 16 or more points.
Takeaways
Illinois: The Illini certainly appeared to learn their lesson from Saturday's loss. Their usually strong rebounding returned, and they played a nearly perfect first half offensively and defensively. When Illinois plays this way, it is one of the best teams in the nation.
Indiana: For whatever reason, the Hoosiers came out flat. They lacked the energy and effort to challenge Illinois in the first half, and the result was obvious. If they don't fight harder than this, it could be a long season in Bloomington.
Key moment
Illinois took control with a 15-2 flurry after the first media timeout to build a 25-10 lead. Indiana never got within single digits again.
Key stat
Illinois outscored Indiana 24-14 in the paint and outrebounded the Hoosiers 29-16 in the first half.
Up next
The Illini face another road test Sunday at No. 12 Michigan State. Indiana will try to rebound Friday night at Ohio State.