No. 20 Illinois cruised to a 91-48 win over Missouri in the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Monday night.
Outscoring the Tigers 50-23 in the second half, the Fighting Illini tallied their largest margin of victory against the Tigers and extended their winning streak in the series to three games.
Keaton Wagler finished with a game-high 22 points after going off for 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the first half. Knocking down a career-high five 3-pointers, the freshman guard also tallied eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Tomislav Ivisic turned in his eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season, going for 14 points while making three 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds and an assist.
Andrej Stojakovic amassed 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting, logging three rebounds, two assists, and a block. David Mirkovic collected nine points, five rebounds, five assists, a block, and a steal.
Zvonimir Ivisic secured eight points, a season-high 11 rebounds, and three rebounds off the bench, while Ben Humrichous buried three 3-pointers en route to a nine-point performance.
Shooting 52% from the field, the Illini dominated the glass all night, outrebounding the Tigers by a 43-24 margin while scoring 29 second-chance points on 15 offensive boards.
After a slow start to the first half that saw neither side led by more than three through the opening eight minutes, a quick five-point run helped Illinois grab a 19-14 edge.
The Tigers reduced their deficit to three, but an 11-2 run across the next two-and-a-half minutes pushed the Orange and Blue's advantage to double figures for the first time. The Illini knocked down three 3-pointers during that stretch en route to a 32-20 lead.
Holding Missouri to only one field goal across the final four minutes of the frame, the Illini closed the first half on a 9-3 scoring stretch and entered the break with a 41-25 lead. Ahead by as many as 17 during the opening 20 minutes, Wagler led all scorers with 16 first-half points.
The Illini used an 11-2 run, sandwiched by Tomislav Ivisic 3-pointers, to extend their lead to 24 early in the second half. That 90-second stretch saw the Tigers take a timeout with the Orange and Blue in front, 52-28, with 17:40 remaining.
After Missouri ended a two-minute scoring drought, the Illini responded with a 7-2 run, establishing a 59-33 edge after keeping the Tigers without a field goal for nearly six minutes of game time.
Illinois continued to capitalize on its defensive dominance, piecing together a 10-1 stretch on the back of a four-minute field goal drought from the Tigers.
Leading by as many as 43 late in the contest, the Illini improved to 9-3 behind their third consecutive McBride Homes Braggin' Rights victory.
#20 Illinois returns to State Farm Center on Dec. 29 for its final nonconference contest of the regular season. The Fighting Illini will host Southern at 2 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network
