Illini Win In Overtime, EIU Beats SIUE

Sophomore Kofi Cockburn paced the Illini with a double-double of 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. He leads the NCAA with 12 double-doubles this season. Senior Trent Frazier added a game-high-tying 19 points. Freshman Andre Curbelo (12 points) and junior Ayo Dosunmu (10 points) also contributed double-digit scoring efforts.

The game stayed close throughout with no team leading by more than seven points the whole game. The free throw line was a critical aspect with a combined 66 free throw attempts between the two teams. Illinois made a season-high 24 free throws. 

The Illini defense had a pair of long stretches in the second half which they did not allow the Hoosiers to score a field goal, one for 6:28 and the other lasting 5:54. Illinois was able to force 15 Indiana turnovers in the game.

The first half featured runs for each team. With the Illini leading 17-15 and 12:17 remaining in the half, the Hoosiers went on a 7-0 run over 3:25 to grab a 22-17 lead. Illinois responded shortly after with an 8-0 run over a span of 1:55 to take a 27-24 lead. Entering halftime, Indiana held a 41-34 lead. The Illini chipped away at that lead early in the second half before both teams went back and forth ultimately resulting in overtime. Illinois outscored Indiana 7-3 in the overtime period.

It is the fifth time in 87 meetings at Indiana that the teams headed to overtime. Illinois improved to 2-3 in those five contests, with their other win coming on Jan. 8, 1949. The Orange and Blue also snapped a seven-game losing streak in Bloomington, securing their first victory since Jan. 9, 2010. 

UP NEXT

Illinois returns to the State Farm Center to take on Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 6. Tip-off is set for 1:30 pm CT on FOX.

NOTES

Illinois is on a three-game winning streak against Indiana. 

Illinois snapped a seven-game losing streak at Indiana, winning for the first time in Bloomington since 2010. 

Illinois won an overtime game in Bloomington for the first time since Jan. 8, 1949, a 44-42 win in double overtime. 

Tonight was only the second overtime win in Bloomington in Illinois program history (87 meetings). Illinois is 2-3 all-time in overtime in Bloomington. 

Illinois and Indiana played to overtime for just the fifth time in 87 meetings in Bloomington and the first time since 1984. 

Illinois made a season-high 24 free throws. 

Illinois had only 10 turnovers, tied for the Illini's second fewest this season (9 vs. Maryland 1/10/21). Illinois held Indiana to a season-low five points off of turnovers. 

Kofi Cockburn leads the NCAA with 12 double-doubles this season. He has posted double-doubles in nine of 11 Big Ten games, averaging 18.4 points and 11.0 rebounds during league play. 

Owning numbers of 21.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, Dosunmu is one of only two players nationally averaging at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists (Cameron Shelton, Northern Arizona). 

Dosunmu is on pace to become just the third Big Ten player since 1993 to average 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, joining two Conference Players of the Year in Indiana's Brian Evans (1995-96) and Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10). 

Ayo Dosunmu fouled out for the first time in his career with 2:40 remaining and Giorgi Bezhanishvili fouled out for the first time this season with 2:56 remaining. 

Andre Curbelo had four assists. He is averaging 5.5 assists in Big Ten play, behind only Mike Smith's 5.8 for Michigan. 

Illinois was on the road for the first time since Jan. 7 after playing four straight home games from Jan. 10-29 due to a pair of road-game postponements.

Illinois returned to action for its first game in 10 days, defeating Iowa 1/29/21 to record its fifth Quad 1 of the season. 

EIU 70, SIUE 61

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Eastern Illinois men’s basketball opened the game with eight players in the line-up.  One minute, forty seconds into the game the Panthers were down to seven bodies as Josiah Wallace went down with an injury. 

The remaining players gutted out an impressive 70-61 win at SIUE on Tuesday night as EIU snapped an eight game losing streak.  

EIU improved to 6-13, 3-9 in the OVC.  SIUE fell to 6-8 overall, 4-4 in the OVC. 

EIU slowed the pace of the game and turned their attention to crashing the glass.  EIU led 23-21 at the half and won the battle on the glass 34-32 with Marvin Johnson posting his fourth double-double of the game.  Johnson had 18 points (16 in second half) with ten rebounds and eight assists. 
Johnson gave the Panthers a 35-30 lead with 15:37 to play.  EIU extended the lead to 47-41 with 8:10 to play on free throws by Jordan Skipper-Brown. 

Skipper-Brown finished with 15 points in his return from COVID-19 protocols. 

Mike Adewunmi would cut EIU’s lead to 50-49 with 6:41 to play converting a three point play.   

Kashawn Charles answered with back-to-back 3-pointers pushing the Panthers lead back out to five points at 56-51.  Charles knocked down five 3-pointers with four in the second half as he finished with 16 points.   Charles final 3-pointer came with 1:12 left in the game giving EIU a 64-54 lead.  

After two straight cold shooting games on the road, EIU was able to heat up on Tuesday night shooting 51 percent from the floor including 70 percent in the second half.   The Panthers were 9-of-19 from 3-point range. 

Shamar Wright led SIUE with 13 points while Sidney Wilson added 12 and Carlos Curtis ten.  EIU held SIUE to only 38 percent shooting on the night.