Published on November 6, 2025 6:18 am
Last Updated on November 6, 2025 6:18 am
BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 17 Illinois cruised to a 113-55 season-opening victory over Jackson State on Monday night at State Farm Center.
The 58-point Illini win stemmed from lockdown defense, dominating the glass, and shooting well from deep. They outrebounded the Tigers 61-19 and knocked down 17 threes.
Tomislav Ivisic and Ben Humrichous led Illinois in scoring, pouring in 21 points apiece. Humrichous’s 21 tied his highest-scoring game at Illinois, knocking down five threes, shooting 6-11 from the field, and grabbing five rebounds. Ivisic shot 9-12 and grabbed four boards.
David Mirkovic came out flaming hot against Jackson State, putting up eight points and grabbing eight rebounds in just the first five minutes. He recorded a double-double before the half, becoming the first Illini freshman to achieve the feat in a season opener since Kofi Cockburn in 2019. Mirkovic finished the game with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists.
Keaton Wagler had a strong showing in his collegiate debut, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Wagler shot 4-8 from the field and 8-10 at the free throw line.
In his first game of his senior season, Kylan Boswell put up 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists to start the 2025-26 campaign. He shot 4-9 and hit two 3-pointers in 28 minutes of action.
Finishing with 13 points and three 3-pointers, Jake Davis brought his sharpshooting back to State Farm Center on Monday night. He shot 5-11, recorded four rebounds, and dished out four assists.
Jason Jakstys and Blake Fagbemi recorded the first buckets of their collegiate careers. Jakstys, a redshirt freshman, scored his first off a two-handed dunk off an assist from Davis with six minutes left in the first half. He also grabbed nine rebounds in his 12 minutes on the floor. Fagbemi’s layup came with seven minutes remaining in the second half.
The Illini made eight of their first 12 shots from the field, opening the night with a 24-3 run to grab a 21-point lead just over six minutes into the contest. The Orange and Blue knocked down five 3-pointers during that stretch, including makes from four different scorers.
With the home side holding a 22-point edge shortly after, the Illini began an 11-0 scoring stretch over the next three minutes to lengthen their lead to 33. Ahead by as many as 34 in the opening frame, the hosts went into halftime with a 60-27 advantage.
Four Illini scorers posted at least eight points across the opening 20 minutes of action, led by 15 points on three 3-pointers from Tomislav Ivisic and 13 points and 10 rebounds from Mirkovic.
A 13-1 run early in the second half pushed the Orange and Blue lead above the 40-point mark for the first time. After the Tigers ended a field goal drought that spanned nearly four-and-a-half minutes, Illinois orchestrated a 7-2 stretch to establish an 80-35 edge with 13:34 remaining.
With the Illini maintaining their 40-point lead over the next five minutes of play, a 9-2 stretch from the home side carried their scoring output above the 100-point mark with just over four minutes to go in the contest.
Illinois ultimately closed the game on an 11-2 run, holding Jackson State without a field goal for the final 4:40 of play, to wrap up the 58-point victory.
The Fighting Illini continue their season-opening four-game homestand on Friday night, when Florida Gulf Coast makes its way to Champaign. The opening tip between the Illini and the Eagles is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT on Peacock.