In a thrilling encounter on Friday night in Champaign, Illinois, Kasparas Jakucionis delivered a crucial 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining, leading the Illini to secure a come-from-behind victory over No. 18 Purdue, finishing 88-80.
Illinois, holding a record of 20-11 and 12-8 in the Big Ten, found themselves trailing by ten points, 63-53, with just over eleven minutes to play. However, an impressive offensive surge in the final two minutes allowed them to outscore Purdue 13-1, securing their third consecutive win after a previous stretch of three losses.
The Illini’s success was fueled by Will Riley, who topped the scoreboard for Illinois with 22 points. Tre White also made significant contributions with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Jakucionis added 10 points and dished out seven assists.
On the Purdue side, Trey Kaufman-Renn had an outstanding performance, recording 29 points. Braden Smith was also remarkable, coming close to achieving the second triple-double in team history with 18 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds. Purdue’s record stands at 21-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big Ten.
Observations from the game highlight Illinois matching the impressive accomplishment of teams like Gonzaga, Houston, and San Diego State by achieving at least 20 regular-season wins consecutively for the last six years. Purdue’s Smith remains one of the contenders for the Big Ten Player of the Year, with Kaufman-Renn, the Boilermakers’ standout inside threat, also in contention.
A pivotal moment came when Riley connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half, reducing Illinois’s deficit to just two points, 42-40.
Statistically, both teams had combined for a total of 32 3-pointers in their previous face-off. Though Purdue had previously excelled from the perimeter, they shifted strategy in this game, dominating the paint with a 44-28 advantage over Illinois, despite only hitting 5 of 18 attempts from beyond the arc. In contrast, Illinois managed 11 out of 30 3-pointers.
Both squads are set to commence their Big Ten Tournament journeys on Thursday.