Overview
- Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 23 points with five assists as Illinois spread the scoring with David Mirkovic adding 22, Andrej Stojakovic 17 and Zvonimir Ivisic 13.
- Tomislav Ivisic buried a corner three with 44.7 seconds left to push the lead out after Ohio State had pulled within 79-76.
- A whistle-heavy second half defined the flow, and Illinois capitalized by going 29-for-32 at the stripe compared with Ohio State’s 15-for-21.
- Bruce Thornton erupted for 24 first-half points; his final total was reported as 30 by the Associated Press and 34 by Yahoo Sports.
- Illinois improved to 8-2 (1-0 Big Ten) and logged its 35th league road win since 2019-20; next is a home game against No. 23 Nebraska, while Ohio State (7-2, 1-1) meets West Virginia in Cleveland.