CHAMPAIGN — Kylan Boswell had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Tomislav Ivišić scored 23 points to lead No. 24 Illinois to a 117-64 victory over winless Chicago State on Sunday.
Boswell got his first triple-double with a pass that set up Keaton Kutcher’s 3-pointer with 1:47 left. It was the seventh triple-double in program history.
Dre Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 16 points, Kasparas Jakucionis had 14, Will Riley had 13 and Morez Johnson Jr. had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Illini (9-3).
Gabe Spinelli, son of first-year head coach Scott Spinelli, led the Cougars (0-15) with 20 points and Noble Crawford scored 15.
The Illini led 60-24 at halftime and built their lead to as many as 58 points in the second half.
Takeaways
This wasn’t much of a test for the Illini, who were facing a winless team that doesn’t have a player averaging in double figures and gives up 83 points per game. But it gave them a chance to shake off the rust from having a week off following their Braggin’ Rights win over Missouri on Dec. 21.
It was another bad day for the Cougars, who were outrebounded 47-23, committed 15 turnovers and shot 37%. On a positive note, they were 4 for 4 at the free-throw line.
Key moment
A 14-point run over a 2 1/2-minute stretch early in the first half extended an 8-7 lead to 22-7 and propelled the Illini to the lopsided win.
Key stat
The Illini shoot a lot of 3s. They came into the day averaging 32 per game, No. 6 in the nation, and went 15 for 33.
Up next
The Illini plays Thursday at No. 9 Oregon. The Cougars play Friday at Wagner.
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