Kasparas Jakučionis' 3-pointer completes Illinois' second-half rally in an 88-80 win over No. 18 Purdue
CHAMPAIGN — Kasparas Jakučionis hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to put Illinois ahead for good, and the Illini rallied past No. 18 Purdue 88-80 on Friday night.
Illinois (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) trailed 63-53 with 11 minutes, 34 seconds to go but outscored the Boilermakers 13-1 in the final two minutes to win its third in a row after losing three straight.
Will Riley led five Illinois players in double figures with 22 points. Tre White had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Jakučionis had 10 points and seven assists.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 29 points for Purdue (21-10, 13-7) and Braden Smith had 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, falling just short of the second triple-double in team history.
Takeaways
Illinois: The Illini joined Gonzaga, Houston and San Diego State as the only teams in the country to have at least 20 regular-season wins in each of the last six years.
Purdue: Smith is among the favorites for Big Ten Player of the Year. Kaufman-Renn, the team's leading scorer, also deserves consideration because he's the Boilermakers' only inside threat.
Key moment
Riley made a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to cap a personal seven-point run and get Illinois within 42-40.
Key stat
The teams combined for 32 3-pointers in their previous game, with the Boilermakers making 18. But Purdue went inside against Illinois this time, outscoring the Illini 44-28 in the paint while going 5 of 18 from behind the arc. Illinois was 11 of 30 on 3s.
Both teams begin Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday.
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