Bench jolts Illini after slow start in 77-67 win over Minnesota

CHAMPAGNE, sick. — One night when its stars didn’t have their A-game, Illinois basketball depth provided the necessary spark.

Zvonimir Ivisic scored a season-high 18 points off the bench and nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals to help No. 13 Illinois overcome a slow start and win its seventh straight game, a 77-67 victory over Minnesota.

Also, little used Serbian guard Mihailo Petrović made his biggest impact on Big Ten play, contributing four points and three rebounds to help Illinois overcome a six-point deficit late in the first half.

The Illini bench outscored the Minnesota bench 22-5, and Illinois shot 13 of 35 from three while outscoring Minnesota 41-30.

First year guard Keaton Wagler added 17 points (4 of 8 threes), five assists and four rebounds for Illinois, and David Mirkovic had 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Tomislav Ivisic added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Jaylen Crocker Johnson scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half on 6-for-9 shooting (4-for-7 threes) to help the Golden Gophers (10-8, 3-4 Big Ten) take an early lead, but cooled off in the second half (2-for-9, 1-for-5 threes). The Gophers shot 12 of 34 from three.

Illini Limited Gophers Star Guard Cade Tysonsecond best scorer in the Big Ten (21.1 points), at 15 points on 6 of 15 shooting, and he committed a foul in the final minute. Langston Reynolds added 11 points and five assists for Minnesota.

Brad Underwood called a timeout just 72 seconds into the game as Illinois fell behind 6-0 quickly behind two 3-pointers from Crocker-Johnson, but his team responded with an 8-0 run of its own to quickly catch up. After the teams traded leads several times, Illinois went cold, making only 1 of 14 shots in 6:31, including 11 straight misses of three, to allow Minnesota use a 12-2 run to take a 32-26 lead. But Petrovic entered the game and helped the Illini, along with the Ivisic twins, go on a 6-0 run and tie the game 34-34 at halftime.

Both teams came out of the half on fire, with Illinois making four of its first five shots and Minnesota making four of its first six shots. Mirkovic made a 3-pointer and Zvonimir Ivisic made two free throws after Brad Underwood successfully appealed a hook and hold to give Illinois a 51-46 lead seven minutes into the half. But Tyson scored five straight points to tie the game with less than 12 minutes to play.

But Illinois went on a key 10-0 run, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Zvonimir Ivisic and Mirkovic, to take a 66-55 lead with less than eight minutes to play. But Minnesota closed the lead again with a 7-0 run of its own to cut the deficit to 66-62 with five minutes remaining. But Tomislav Ivisic and Wagler then made consecutive 3-pointers to give Illinois a 12-point advantage and put the game away with less than four minutes remaining.

What this means: For the first time in Big Ten play, Illinois looked a little sleepy and disjointed early on, but this team still showed it had the talent and grit to overcome flawed play and respond to teams in the bottom half of the Big Ten with a punch. The Big Ten doesn’t lend itself to many blowouts, and the Illini once again took care of business to keep pace near the front of the Big Ten race. However, Brad Underwood will then have some teaching points that Illinois will need to correct before the schedule really resumes.

The star of the game: Zvonimir Ivisic was like Roy Kent – ​​he’s here, there, everywhere – to give Illinois the spark it needed from the start. Minnesota couldn’t contain him on offense as the 7-foot-2 center was one of the few Illini who could penetrate Minnesota’s zone with his length, but he also hit a pair of 3-pointers on Minnesota’s defense. Ivisic’s energy on defense and on the glass was also excellent. What a luxury for the Illini to have one of the best backup centers in the country.

Game statistics

• Illinois was +13 from the free throw line going 16 of 19 while Minnesota was 3 of 3.
• Illinois beat Minnesota 42-31, including 17 offensive rebounds
• The Illinois bench dominated that of Minnesota 22-5, led by Zvonimir Ivisic’s 18.
• Illinois made 13 of 35 from three, including 8 of 14 in the second half. The Illini have 13 games of 10+ threes and have 10+ threes in nine of 10 games.
• Illinois scored 14 points off seven Minnesota turnovers, while Minnesota had 12 points off 10 Illinois turnovers.
• Minnesota outscored Illinois 24-16 in the paint.
• Minnesota outscored Illinois 9-7 in fast break points.

Do not neglect: Mihailo Petrovic made his biggest impact of the Big Ten season. With Kylan Boswell and Keaton Wagler struggling a bit to dissect Minnesota’s zone defense, the 22-year-old Serbian guard gave Illinois a spark off the bench by collapsing the defense and finding shots for the Illini’s bigs and getting into the paint himself for a few field goals. Petrovic also struggled defensively and on the glass. Although Wagler and Boswell are so good that Illinois hasn’t needed Petrovic as much as expected, he gives the Illini great depth and an enviable emergency option in the backcourt if the Illini offense bogs down.

What’s next: Illinois hosts Maryland for a warning at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday at the State Farm Center. Brad Underwood is 3-9 against the Terrapins, with Maryland having won five of the last six. But Maryland (7-10, 0-6 Big Ten) is struggling big time under the first-year head coach. Buzz Williams with a 1-10 record against top opponents so far this season. The Terrapins currently have the Big Ten’s worst offensive efficiency (96.6) and 15th defensive efficiency (119.7) and are 291st in the nation in 3-point percentage (31.1%) and 312th in the nation in 2-point percentage (46.9%). Pharrel Payne leads Maryland with 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, but has not played since Dec. 13 due to a leg injury. Turtle guards David Coit (13.8 points) and Darius Adams (12.5 points) are the only other Maryland players to average in double figures.