#20 Illinois Rides Second-Half Surge to Commanding Braggin' Rights Win

ST. LOUIS –#20 Illinois cruised to a 91-48 win over Missouri in the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Monday night.

Outscoring the Tigers 50-23 in the second half, the Fighting Illini tallied their largest margin of victory against the Tigers and extended their winning streak in the series to three games.

Keaton Wagler finished with a game-high 22 points after going off for 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the first half. Knocking down a career-high five 3-pointers, the freshman guard also tallied eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals.

Tomislav Ivisic turned in his eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season, going for 14 points while making three 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds and an assist.

Andrej Stojakovic amassed 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting, logging three rebounds, two assists, and a block. David Mirkovic collected nine points, five rebounds, five assists, a block, and a steal.

Zvonimir Ivisic secured eight points, a season-high 11 rebounds, and three rebounds off the bench, while Ben Humrichous buried three 3-pointers en route to a nine-point performance.

Shooting 52% from the field, the Illini dominated the glass all night, outrebounding the Tigers by a 43-24 margin while scoring 29 second-chance points on 15 offensive boards.

After a slow start to the first half that saw neither side led by more than three through the opening eight minutes, a quick five-point run helped Illinois grab a 19-14 edge.

The Tigers reduced their deficit to three, but an 11-2 run across the next two-and-a-half minutes pushed the Orange and Blue's advantage to double figures for the first time. The Illini knocked down three 3-pointers during that stretch en route to a 32-20 lead.

Holding Missouri to only one field goal across the final four minutes of the frame, the Illini closed the first half on a 9-3 scoring stretch and entered the break with a 41-25 lead. Ahead by as many as 17 during the opening 20 minutes, Wagler led all scorers with 16 first-half points.

The Illini used an 11-2 run, sandwiched by Tomislav Ivisic 3-pointers, to extend their lead to 24 early in the second half. That 90-second stretch saw the Tigers take a timeout with the Orange and Blue in front, 52-28, with 17:40 remaining.

After Missouri ended a two-minute scoring drought, the Illini responded with a 7-2 run, establishing a 59-33 edge after keeping the Tigers without a field goal for nearly six minutes of game time.

Illinois continued to capitalize on its defensive dominance, piecing together a 10-1 stretch on the back of a four-minute field goal drought from the Tigers.

Leading by as many as 43 late in the contest, the Illini improved to 9-3 behind their third consecutive McBride Homes Braggin' Rights victory.

20 Illinois returns to State Farm Center on Dec. 29 for its final nonconference contest of the regular season. The Fighting Illini will host Southern at 2 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.