Illinois Captures Eighth Victory In Row, Downs Maryland, 89-70 

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BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 11 Illinois earned its eighth win in a row on Wednesday at State Farm Center, cruising to an 89-70 victory over Maryland in a dominant showing in conference play.

Leading by as many as 27 points, the Illini improved to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play behind four scorers in double figures.

Andrej Stojakovic was firing on all cylinders, scoring a season-high 30 points accompanied by nine rebounds and two blocks. Stojakovic made his first four shots of the night to score 11 of Illinois’ first 17 points, ultimately surpassing the 30-point mark for the fifth time in his career.

Keaton Wagler stepped up in Kylan Boswell’s absence, recording 13 points and seven rebounds while dishing out a team-leading eight assists. This is the third 10/5/5 stat line of the freshman’s young career and his first since facing Southern on Dec. 29.

David Mirkovic put up 15 points and nine rebounds, marking the fourth time he has scored 15+ points this season. His nine rebounds tied Stojakovic to lead the Illini against the Terrapins.

Jake Davis was efficient from beyond the arc, shooting 4-6 from deep for 12 points. This marks the fourth time Davis has scored in double digits this year.

Tomislav Ivisic contributed nine points and seven rebounds, while Ben Humrichous chipped in six points off 2-3 shooting from deep.

Illinois and Maryland traded buckets to start off the night. The Terrapins sank six of their first seven field goals, but Stojakovic responded with eight quick points to tie the score at 11 with 15:40 on the clock.

Maryland held a 24-19 lead at the midpoint of the half, but Illinois shut down the Terrapins with an explosive 28-6 run to close out the half. Mirkovic led the charge with 10 of those points, while the Illini entered the break with a 47-30 advantage.

Stojakovic stayed on a heater in the second half, scoring 12 points and grabbing four rebounds within the first six minutes after the break. Illinois held a healthy 20-point lead, 65-45, with 12 minutes remaining.

The Illini cruised to the finish to take down the Terrapins by 19 and secure their eighth consecutive win.

Next up, No. 11 Illinois heads east for a ranked road test against No. 4 Purdue on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Illini and the Boilermakers will battle at 2 p.m. CT on FOX.

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes

• Andrej Stojakovic scored a season-high 30 points and added nine rebounds, two blocks, and an assist.
  • Scored 30+ points for the fourth time in his career and for the first time as an Illini.
    • Was the first Illini with 30 points since Kylan Boswell had 31 vs. FGCU on Nov. 7, 2025.
    • Was the first Illini to score 30+ points vs. a Big Ten opponent since Terrence Shannon Jr. (34) in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament Championship vs. Wisconsin (3/27/24).
    • Was the first Illini to score 30+ points in a regular-season Big Ten game since Marcus Domask (31) at Wisconsin (3/2/24).
    • Was the first Illini to score 30+ points in a Big Ten home game since Coleman Hawkins (30) vs. Iowa (2/24/24).
  • Poured in 20+ points for the fifth time this season and his first since going for 24 vs. UTRGV on Nov. 24, and eclipsed the 26 points he scored vs. #11 Alabama at United Center on Nov. 19.
    • Tied with Kylan Boswell for the most 20-point games on the team this season.
  • Led the Illini in scoring for the fifth time this season; was the first time against a conference opponent.
    • Registered his 11th game of the season with double-digit points.
  • Matched his career-high and set a season high with four 3-pointers.
    • Made his first four shots from the field and his first three 3-point attempts.
    • Also set a new season-best tally.
    • Made multiple 3-pointers for the third time this season.
  • Tied his season-high with his two blocks.
    • Made multiple blocks for the fourth time this season.
• Keaton Wagler stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
  • Scored in double figures for the 11th consecutive game and for the 16th time overall this season.
    • Averaging (17.9) ppg during that stretch.
  • Hit at least one 3-pointer in 18 of the first 19 games of his collegiate career, the most games with a triple on the team this season.
  • Recorded 10+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists for the third time of the season.
  • Dished out eight assists, the most since his 10 against Southern U on Dec. 29.
• David Mirkovic finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
  • Scored 15+ points for the fourth time this season, the first since Dec. 9 at Ohio State.
    • Posted his 13th game with 10+ points this season.
• Tomislav Ivisic totaled nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.
  • 81 3-pointers are the most in the NCAA by a 7-footer over the last two seasons.
  • Grabbed three offensive rebounds.
    • Has at least three o-boards in three straight games.
    • Has multiple offensive rebounds in eight games this season.
• Jake Davis drained four 3-pointers and ended the night with 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
  • Made his fourth start of the season.
  • Tallied 10+ points for the fourth time this season.
  • Connected on at least four 3-pointers for the third time this season.
    • Entered the game leading the team-best average of 3.0 3-pointers per 40 minutes played.
  • Corralled three of his four rebounds on the offensive glass.
    • Tied his career-high with three offensive rebounds.
    • Grabbed at least three o-boards for the third time this season.
• Ben Humrichous scored six points and grabbed three rebounds.
  • Team-leading 43rd game with a 3-pointer over the last two seasons.
• Kylan Boswell missed his first game as an Illini after fracturing a bone in his right hand in practice on Monday.
  • Had played in all 53 games, with 52 starts, since coming to Illinois prior to the 2024-25 season.

Team Notes 

• Starters: Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivisic, David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Keaton Wagler.
  • Sixth different starting lineup of the season.
• Maryland got on the board first with a three in the first minute. Illinois quickly responded with a Jake Davis trifecta.
• Illinois went on a 21-2 run late in the first half, holding the Terrapins scoreless for over three-and-a-half minutes and without a field goal for nearly five minutes.
  • The Illini outscored the Terrapins 25-4 over the final 7:58 of the first half.
• Illinois knocked down 15 3-pointers, a new season-high in Big Ten play this season.
  • The Illini have made at least 10 3-pointers in five straight games and in 14 contests overall this season.
  • Illinois’ 15 3-pointers marked its most in a Big Ten home game since March 3, 2005.
• Illinois moves to 16-3 overall, the team’s best 19-game start since 2008-09.
• The Illini are 7-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2004-05.
• Illinois has won eight straight games since Dec. 22, the team’s longest win streak of the season, and the program’s longest since Feb. 25 – March 19, 2021.
• Illinois is off to a 10-1 start at home this season, the team’s best home start since opening 12-1 at State Farm Center in 2019-20.
• Wednesday’s victory marked the 99th Big Ten win of head coach Brad Underwood‘s career.
  • Underwood, in his ninth season at Illinois, ranks third on the Illini all-time coaching list for Big Ten wins behind Lou Henson (214 in 21 seasons) and Harry Combes (174 in 20 seasons).
• Illinois is 10-1 in home games at State Farm Center this season and has won four straight home games.
• The #11 Illini are:
  • 668-270 (.712) all-time when ranked inside the AP Top 25, including a 365-54 (.871) mark at home, 286-41 (.875) at State Farm Center.
• This marks Illinois’ 88th Big Ten win since 2019-20, tied with Purdue for the most in the league over the last seven seasons heading into Saturday’s matchup vs. the #4 Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind.
• Illinois outrebounded Maryland 47-31 with a 25-15 advantage at halftime.
  • Illinois has outrebounded 17 of 19 opponents this season with a 15-2 record in those contests.
  • The Illini scored 20 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds.