Nebraska’s Berke Buyuktuncel (9) fights for a loose ball against #9 Illinois on Sunday. (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
Illinois flips momentum with defense, rebounding and late free throws in Lincoln
LINCOLN, Neb. — No. 5 Nebraska came up short Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena, falling 78–69 to No. 9 Illinois in a hard-fought Big Ten showdown that swung decisively in the second half.
The Huskers carried a 39–33 lead into halftime behind a scorching performance from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. But Illinois flipped the momentum after the break, outscoring Nebraska 45–30 while asserting control over the tempo and the glass.
“To me, the game came down to our inability to finish off possessions,” Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They were really controlling tempo. I don’t think it had anything to do with our effort.”
Illinois made its move midway through the second half, stringing together a 10–0 run to build its largest lead of the afternoon at 11 points with 6:45 remaining. The Fighting Illini leaned on their physicality down the stretch, finishing with a 40–27 rebounding advantage and scoring 28 points in the paint.
Keaton Wagler delivered a standout performance for Illinois, pouring in a game-high 28 points while connecting on four three-pointers and going 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Tomislav Ivisic added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Andrej Stojakovic contributed eight points and four assists.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood credited his team’s defensive progress since its previous matchup with Nebraska.
“We’ve shown some growth on the defensive side since the first time we played them,” Underwood said. “I think our connectivity was excellent. We mixed in a little bit of zone in the first half to help keep them off rhythm a little bit; and then I thought we did a nice job of trying to take away layups throughout the meat of the game.”
Nebraska was paced by Braden Frager, who scored 20 points in his return to the lineup, drilling six three-pointers. Pryce Sandfort finished with 14 points, while Sam Hoiberg chipped in 13 points and six assists.
“It’s great having Braden back out there healthy and feeling good,” Hoiberg said. “He’s a tough, tough kid. I give Braden a lot of credit for going out there for playing the way he did and fighting the way he did that first game back.”
The Huskers also welcomed back Rienk Mast after illness, with the forward logging nearly 26 minutes despite still working his way back to full strength. Mast totaled five points and four rebounds.
“I give Rienk a lot of credit for going out there and battling, being able to play 25 minutes,” Hoiberg said. “He played like he was in the ER until three in the morning. He’s going to get his timing back, he’s going to get his wind back. He’ll get it going again, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
Nebraska shot 42.9 percent from three-point range for the game but cooled off in the second half, hitting just four triples after intermission. Illinois, meanwhile, capitalized at the foul line, converting 16 of 18 free throws in the final 20 minutes to keep the Huskers at bay.
Hoiberg also pointed to the physical defense Sandfort faced as a disruption to Nebraska’s offensive rhythm.
“Pryce had it going for us, but they have to let Pryce run,” Hoiberg said. “He’s getting held, he’s getting grabbed. Our offense, with freedom of movement — that’s got to be enforced. When you’re being held, you can’t run it.”
The contest featured nine lead changes and six ties, with Nebraska leading for nearly 14 minutes before Illinois seized control late.
Nebraska fell to 20–2 overall and 9–2 in Big Ten play, while Illinois improved to 19–3 and 10–1 in conference action, leaving Lincoln with a statement road win in front of a crowd of 15,513.