Tomislav Ivisic scored 22 points, Will Riley and Kylan Boswell pitched in 15 apiece, and Tre White added 14 as Illinois men’s basketball dominated Iowa, 81-61, Tuesday night at State Farm Arena in Champaign The Hawkeyes dropped to 15-13 overall and 6-11 in Big Ten play with the loss, their third in the last four games. 

Second-year guard Brock Harding led the way for visitors with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting while junior guard Josh Dix added 11. The duo were the only Hawkeyes with double digit scoring. 

A seven-point halftime deficit for the Hawkeyes ballooned into 20 with seven minutes remaining. A Riley layup launched the scoring party for the Illini, who shot 57 percent from the floor and 40 percent in the second half. 

Turnovers made the difference in the contest, as Iowa coughed up the ball 16 times, a season high that resulted in 17 Illinois points. Rebounding was about the only category in favor of the Hawkeyes, as they were outscored in the paint, 42-30, and allowed a 51 percent field goal percentage. Illinois improved to 18-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play. 

Sloppy play for the Hawkeyes pushed them behind early, as the Illini exploited five turnovers for six points on their way to a 22-11 lead after nine minutes. Illinois finished that frame shooting 9-of-17 from the floor. Ivislac led the way for the home team with 11 points. 

After backup center Even Brauns and forward Pryce Sandfort entered the game, the Hawkeyes went on a 11-2 run with each of the pair scoring a basket. A Brauns one-handed  jam over Illinois’ Will Riley got Iowa within a bucket but Illinois pushed the lead, 37-30 at the break. 

The Hawkeyes shot 43 percent from the field in the first half, shot 2-of-7 from distance, and coughed up eight turnovers while the Illini shot 45 percent from the floor and only 3-of-14 from deep. 

Up Next 

Iowa finishes its road trip in the Land of Lincoln with a stop in Evanston on Friday night for a battle against Northwestern. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on FS1. The Wildcats are 15-13 overall with a 6-11 mark in Big Ten play following a win at Minnesota. Head coach Chris Collins’ squad ranks 15th in the Big Ten, meaning the contest will hold significant sway for the 15th and final bid to Indianapolis. 

Third-year forward Nick Martinelli leads his squad in scoring with 19.7 points per game, good enough for best in the conference alongside Wisconsin’s John Tonje. Northwestern’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder, Brooks Barnhizer, is out for the season with a foot injury. 

In their last matchup, the Hawkeyes earned a 80-79 home victory via a Josh Dix buzzer beater. Iowa has won 9 of the last 10 contests in the series.