Indiana defeated Illinois by a final score of 80-65 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
The Hoosiers led 43-33 at halftime. They were led in the game by Trayce Jackson-Davis with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists — all team highs.
Join us in the comments below to discuss the game, and stay tuned to The Daily Hoosier for more coverage. Indiana returns to action on Sunday at Noon Eastern when they host Michigan State.
See also: Woodson, Jackson-Davis and Geronimo discuss the game.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME (will be expanded)
1. Illinois guarded Jackson-Davis how? Indiana has seen double-teams on Trayce Jackson-Davis since he dropped 30 on Xavier in November. But for whatever reason Illinois coach Brad Underwood was reluctant to help on IU’s star big man, and he paid dearly. The senior forward dominated with 35 points on 15-of-19 shooting. He started the game a perfect 9-of-9 from the field. It was his career-high scoring output against a Big Ten opponent.
2. A second straight solid defensive effort. Illinois started the game cold from the field, and while they made some runs, they never really got going. Indiana was strong on the ball most of the night. Illinois shot just 38.7 percent from the field and had just seven assists. With solid defense, the Hoosiers were able to never let Illinois back to within eight points after building a 19-point first half lead.
3. Paint domination. Indiana held a 54-32 points in the paint advantage and a 39-27 margin on the glass. They shot 31-of-46 (67 percent) from 2-point range. Meanwhile Illinois made just 16-of-43 (37 percent) from 2-point range.
HIGHLIGHTS
FINAL STATS
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