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Game recap, highlights: Wisconsin done in on the glass by Illinois, 86-80

Wisconsin suffers third straight loss, falls to 0-2 in Big Ten Conference play
Dana Becker|
The Wisconsin men go after their first Big Ten Conference win of the season Tuesday night at Illinois.
The Wisconsin men go after their first Big Ten Conference win of the season Tuesday night at Illinois. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Missed opportunities on the defensive end to get stops doomed the No. 20 Wisconsin men Tuesday night, as Illinois claimed an 86-80 victory.

The loss sends the Badgers (8-3, 0-2) to a third straight loss and puts them two down in the Big Ten Conference standings. 

Behind a plus-11 advantage on the glass, the Fighting Illini (7-2, 1-1) were able to secure their first league win of the season. 

Illinois and Wisconsin combined to make 20 three-pointers, with both teams shooting over 42 percent from the field. Illinois did knock down eight more shots at the line, which ultimately helped them seal the deal late. 

Nolan Winter had 15 points to lead the Badgers, as John Tonje got hot late to finish with 14. Max Klesmit and John Blackwell both reached double figures with 13 and 10. Winter also had seven rebounds and two steals while Klesmit dished out four assists.

For Illinois, Kasparas Jakucionis had a game-high 24 points with six rebounds and five assists. He knocked down four 3-pointers. Tre White added 23 points and eight rebounds, with Kylan Boswell finishing with 19 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Check out our in-game recap and highlights below:

(Refresh for the latest updates)

Live Second Half Updates

Final: Illinois 86, Wisconsin 80

Badgers not going away! Tonje with a 3-pointer and Wisconsin trails 82-78 with 29 seconds left in the game. Tonje is up to 14 points, making each of his last two triples. 

Kasparas killing it: Jakucionis has knocked down four 3-pointers, and when he missed, it hurts Wisconsin by getting fouled. Three free throws by Jakucionis has given Illinois a 79-70 lead with just over a minute to play.

Illinois 76, Wisconsin 70, 2:21 left in second half: The Fighting Illini are killing the Badgers on the glass, and Wisconsin isn’t doing itself any favors on help-defense. Tre White with a thunderous putback off a miss that followed a 3-pointer by Nolan Winter that had cut the deficit to four.

Tonje comes alive! When his team needs him the most, John Tonje delivers, sinking a 3-pointer to make it a 72-67 game with under four to go.Tonje had missed his first four 3-point attempts of the game.

Illinois 70, Wisconsin 62, 4:58 left in second half: Wisconsin keeps trying to get back in it, but anytime they score, Illinois answers. And down by multiple possessions, that just isn’t going to work. Nolan Winter leads the Badgers with 12 as leading scorer John Tonje has been held to just eight. For Illinois, Kasparas Jakucionis has a team-high 21, hitting four 3-pointers. 

Illinois 63, Wisconsin 59, 7:23 left in second half: The Badgers have rallied to make this a game behind buckets from John Blackwell and two free throws by John Tonje. Tonje with a layup of his own during this run for Wisconsin as we head to the under-eight timeout. 

Illinois 59, Wisconsin 49, 12:21 left in second half: The Fighting Illini are pulling away, building a 10-point lead early in the second half. Jakucionis and Boswell are up to 15 points with White adding 14. Winter has 12 for the Badgers. 

Illinois 51, Wisconsin 47, 15:47 left in second half: At the under-16 timeout, the second half is locked even at 12-all, meaning the Fighting Illini hold a four-point lead. It has been a back-and-forth four-plus minutes, with Nolan Winter and Ben Humrichous exchanging 3-pointers. Humrichous’ triple gave Illinois a 42-35 lead, as Winter’s triple was much needed. 

Live First Half Updates

Halftime score: Illinois 39, Wisconsin 35

A back-and-forth battle through the opening 20 minutes, as Illinois has done an outstanding job on Wisconsin leading scorer John Tonje, who has just four points on 2 of 7 shooting. Steven Crowl and Carter Gilmore lead the Badgers with seven each while Max Klesmit and Xavier Amos each have five.

Tre White has a game-high 14 for the Fighting Illini with Kasparas Jakucionis adding 10. 

The Badgers are shooting 50 percent from the field and have 10 assists on 14 made field goals but have been dominated on the glass. Illinois holds a plus-22 advantage in total rebounds, including a 9-1 edge on the offensive boards.

Illinois 39, Wisconsin 35, :43 left in first half: Jack Janicki stops the bleeding for the Badgers, sinking a 3-pointer with under a minute to play. Illinois had scored five straight to go up by seven behind a triple from Tre White and a jumper by Kasparas Jakucionis. 

Wisconsin 25, Illinois 21, 8:57 left in first half: Carter Gilmore with a layup to give the Badgers a 25-21 lead as we head towards the under-eight timeout. Gilmore and Max Klesmit with a nice little run to spearhead the attack. 

Wisconsin 21, Illinois 16, 10:17 left in first half: Xavier Amos and Max Klesmit with matching 3-pointers as the Badgers take a 21-16 advantage midway through the opening half. Steven Crowl added a layup during a nice 10-2 run.

Pregame Updates

Wisconsin needs to get on track, but it will not be easy on the road. The Badgers face off against an Illinois team also seeking its first Big Ten Conference win of the season.

Published | Modified
Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in north-central Iowa.

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