Illinois Defeats No. 20 Wisconsin Behind Jakucionis' Career-High Performance

Illinois secures a 9th straight win over Wisconsin with strong second-half play and dominant rebounding.

Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis led Illinois with a career-high 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the 86-80 victory.
Tre White contributed a season-high 23 points, and Kylan Boswell added 19 points and six assists for the Illini, now 7-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play.
Illinois dominated the boards, outrebounding Wisconsin 40-29, including 15 offensive rebounds, a key focus after their recent loss to Northwestern.
Wisconsin, now 8-3 and 0-2 in the Big Ten, suffered its third consecutive loss despite a career-high-tying 15 points from Nolan Winter and solid contributions from John Tonje and Max Klesmit.
A decisive 13-2 run early in the second half helped Illinois regain control, and a critical four-point play by Jakucionis in the final minutes sealed the win.