The Illini’s men’s and women’s basketball programs faced opposite fates on Saturday. The men pulled off an 88-82 upset against the Boilermakers while the women failed to catch up to Nebraska, losing 81-75.
The men’s program had a lot to celebrate at the end of the day. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler etched his name into the history books, breaking the record for most points scored by a freshman in Big Ten History with 46 points in an upset win over No. 4 Purdue.
Wagler’s nine three-pointer performance also broke the school’s record for most three-pointers in a game.
“There’s nothing that phases him,” Head Coach Brad Underwood said after the game, praising the freshman’s performance. “He just wants to make the right basketball play. And tonight it happened to be scoring. He takes the emotion out of it in a venue with 15,000 people all against him, and he just plays. He just took what the game gave him.”
Things started slowly for the men’s program as it found itself down 11 to Purdue halfway through the first half. After two three-pointers from Wagler and junior center Tomislav Ivisic, the Illini were able to get within four points heading into halftime.
Purdue kept itself in the game by scoring 20 points off the ten turnovers it forced on Illinois. Boilermakers senior guard Branden Smith tried to take over the game with his 27 points, but he was not able to counter Wagler in the final stretch.
The men’s team ends its week keeping its win streak alive, with Underwood celebrating his 100th Big Ten Conference win.
The win represents the team’s first road win against a top 5 team since 2021, improving its record to 17-3 overall and 8-1 in conference play.
Women’s team falls short to Cornhuskers
The Fighting Illini women’s team was unable to make a comeback on the road against Nebraska after being down 19 points in the 3rd quarter.
In the first half, Illinois sophomore forward Berry Wallace tried to keep her team in the game by scoring 18 points. Nebraska held off Wallace’s teammates and scored 11 points in a row to get an 18-point lead at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, Illinois freshman center Cearah Parchment started off the comeback with scoring 23 points in the second half, followed by 11 points from freshman guard Destiny Jackson and junior guard Maddie Webber.
As the clock started to tick to its end, Nebraska guard Britt Prince kept the Cornhuskers in the lead by sinking crucial free throws to keep the Illini at arm’s reach.
Women’s Head Coach Shauna Green said going forward, the team will have to make a stronger impression in the first half.
“You can’t fight and then have three possessions off,” Green said. “This is a league that exposes you if you do that. It has to be every single possession locked in, focus, discipline, execution. And we’ve got to continue to grow on that. Second half was great, but this is a 40-minute game, not 20.”
The game the women’s team’s fourth loss in the last six games, bringing the Illini to 15-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten.
Big Ten conference games continue this week
The women’s team will try to regain its momentum as it hosts a top-5-ranked team in UCLA at State Farm Center. Tipoff for the “Orange Out” game will be at 6 PM.
Meanwhile, the men’s team will try to extend its win streak to ten in a row as they will host the Washington Huskies at State Farm Center on Thursday, with the game’s tipoff set for 8 PM.