No. 13 Illinois dominates the paint, surges past plucky UTRGV

Andrej Stojakovic scored 24 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 13 Illinois fought off gallant UT Rio Grande Valley for an 87-74 nonconference win on Monday night in Champaign, Ill.

Mihailo Petrovic contributed 12 points off the bench while Zvonimir Ivisic, David Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic added 10 points apiece as the Illini (6-1) tuned up for a Black Friday matinee against No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden. Illinois made just 8 of 30 3-point attempts (26.7%).

Kye Dickson paced UTRGV (2-4) with 21 points and five rebounds while Filip Brankovic added 15 points and five rebounds as the Vaqueros clung within 11 points until the final six minutes.

The teams swapped the lead seven times in the first eight minutes as UTRGV started hot from 3-point range. The Vaqueros built an 18-14 margin on Marvin McGhee III's 3-pointer from the corner at the 10:40 mark, which caused the home crowd to stir uncomfortably.

Illinois responded with a 10-0 run as Mirkovic laid in a putback, Keaton Wagler drilled a 3-pointer, Stojakovic spun through the lane for a bank that became a 3-point play and Kylan Boswell canned two free throws to make it 24-18 with 8:24 to go.

UTRGV pulled within 24-22 on a Brankovic 3-pointer, but the Illini's Zvonimir Ivisic and Petrovic answered with 3-pointers. When Petrovic fed a bounce pass to Stojakovic on the fast break for a two-handed slam, it gave Illinois a 36-24 lead and inspired UTRGV to take a timeout with 3:28 left in the half.

Tomislav Ivisic's tip-in just before the buzzer gave Illinois a 42-31 lead at the break.

The Vaqueros scored the first five points of the second half to slice their deficit to six, but Stojakovic and Mirkovic slashed to the hoop for layups and Mirkovic added a 3-point play in the paint to restore a 12-point margin.

Dickson scored eight straight points for the visitors to keep them within single digits, but Petrovic found Stojakovic for a baseline drive and uncontested dunk that gave Illinois a 68-51 lead with 10:39 to go.

Illinois hit 30 of 60 shots from the floor and 19 of 22 (86.4%) from the free throw line to offset their poor long distance efficiency. They amassed 44 points in the paint.

UTRGV only committed four turnovers in the game and attempted eight more field goals than the Illini.

--Field Level Media