O-H-Ayo - Illini’s Masked Avenger Downs Buckeyes: No. 4 Illini Earn Come-From-Behind Win at No. 7 Ohio State
Ayo Dosunmu says his new black facial protective mask makes him feel like a superhero.
The avid comic book reader donned his new protective gear, scored a game-high 19 points and led No. 4 Illinois to a come-from-behind 73-68 victory at No. 7 Ohio State.
Dosunmu, who missed the last three games with what we confirmed was a broken nose and concussion symptoms, posted 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four rebounds and three assists in a 36-minute effort that included him not taking a shot attempt for the first nine minutes of action.
“(The mask) looks cool but I would say it is a really unique situation,” Dosunmu said. “I enjoy it and it makes me focus more. When I’m shooting, in my head, I feel like it is an extra contest in my face.”
The National Player of the Year finalist showcased his new black face-guard that was designed by doctors to protect the broken bone on the right side in his nose following getting hit in the face by a forearm from Michigan State freshman forward Mady Sissoko in a loss on Feb. 23.
Dosunmu said he specifically picked the what he calls “black mamba” design and color of his mask to honor his idol, the late Kobe Bryant, and an acknowledgement to the black mask Lebron James wore a mask to protect his broken nose in the latter half of the 2013-14 season.
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrates after beating Ohio State Buckeyes 73-68 during their game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on March 6, 2021.
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network
Mask or no mask, Dosunmu showcased once again his natural ability to heroically come through when it mattered the most for Illini basketball. The 6-foot-5 guard scored six points in the final two minutes and 13 seconds of a game that saw the Illini (20-6, 16-4 in Big Ten Conference) turn a four-point deficit into a five-point victory.
“It’s not easy doing what he did today, believe me,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. “I worried about his conditioning...and then you have a certain level of unknown of if the mask is going to bother him when he shoots. Obviously (it didn’t) with him being 7 of 10.”
Dosunmu finished this 2020-21 regular season as the only player in NCAA Division I basketball over the last 11 seasons to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. In a similar fashion to the previous three games when Dosunmu was out due to concussion protocol, Andre Curbelo became the perfect perimeter sidekick off the bench. The freshman point guard had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes to properly account for the foul-trouble problems that plagued senior starter Trent Frazier.
“(Curbelo) is an alpha,” Underwood said. “He’s not afraid of anything. He’s always been the most important and most dominant player every time he steps on the floor. It gives us a pretty good selection to go pick on the other team’s weakness.”
Da’Monte Williams, who found himself back on the bench after Dosunmu’s return, contributed seven points, including a game-changing three-pointer with 91 seconds to tie the score at 68, along with six rebounds and provided key defense on Ohio State star sophomore EJ Liddell.
“There was three minutes and 42 seconds left at the last media timeout and (Williams) had just been called for a bad foul so I went over to him and said ‘hey, you’re the reason we’re going to win this game’ and he’s a senior so he came out and made big plays for us,” Dosunmu said. “He already does everything that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”
Liddell, who had 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, missed his final two shots after Illinois’ coaching staff switched Williams, a 6-foot-3 wing, on the Buckeyes go-to offensive player and former two-time Illinois Mr. Basketball selection. Ohio State (18-8, 12-8), which will enter the upcoming Big Ten Conference tournament on a four-game losing streak, missed its final 10 shots over the final three minutes and 14 seconds to allow the Illini to escape with its three straight road games against top 11 teams rated by KenPom.com (at Wisconsin - 11, at Michigan - 2 and at Ohio State - 7).
The victory, which was Illinois’ nation-leading ninth Quad 1 win, marked the Illini program’s 34th 20-win season and first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since 2013 and 2014.
Illinois had already clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament and will next play Friday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.