Ivisic’s 22 points lift Illinois over Iowa, ending losing skid

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Tomislav Ivisic led Illinois with a strong performance, scoring 15 of his total 22 points in the first half, as the team bounced back from a loss against Duke to defeat Iowa 81-61 on Tuesday night.
The Illini, after suffering a tough three-game losing streak against ranked opponents—including Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Duke—managed to regain their confidence and improve their record to 18-11 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten. During their losses, they were defeated by an average of 26 points, including a significant 110-67 loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden.

Kylan Boswell and Will Riley each contributed 15 points, while Tre White added 14, enabling Illinois to achieve an impressive 50.8% shooting efficiency by making 32 of their 63 field goals. This victory allowed them to break their losing streak and return to winning form.
For Iowa, Brock Harding emerged as the leading scorer with 16 points and Josh Dix supported the effort with 11 points. However, the Hawkeyes could not overcome Illinois’ dominant play.
In the first half, Illinois established an early 19-6 advantage and maintained control throughout, entering halftime with a 37-30 lead. They continued to dominate at the start of the second half, as they outscored Iowa 19-8 in the initial five-and-a-half minutes, extending their lead to 56-38.
Moving forward, Iowa is set to travel to Northwestern for a matchup with the Wildcats on Friday. Meanwhile, Illinois will be on the road to take on 15th-ranked Michigan on Sunday.