{"id":28824,"date":"2026-01-26T14:07:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=28824"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:07:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:07:47","slug":"wagler-hits-stride-with-46-points-as-illini-beat-purdue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/sports\/basketball\/28824-wagler-hits-stride-with-46-points-as-illini-beat-purdue\/","title":{"rendered":"Wagler Hits Stride With 46 Points As Illini Beat Purdue"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p><strong>BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2013Freshman <dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15216\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\">Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0poured in 46 points, including a school-record nine 3-pointers, to lift No. 11 Illinois to a key 88-82 road win over No. 4 Purdue on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Wagler scored early and often for Illinois, tallying in the team&#8217;s first 14 points, to ignite an historic performance that marked the most points ever scored by an opponent at Purdue&#8217;s Mackey Arena, and the most in a road win over a top-10 opponent in AP Poll history.<\/p>\n<p>The win moves Illinois (17-3) to 8-1 in Big Ten play to keep pace in a tie for second with Michigan (18-1, 8-1 B1G) and Michigan State (18-2, 8-1) behind undefeated league-leader Nebraska (20-0, 9-0), while the Boilermakers (17-3) fall a game behind the Illini at 7-2 in league play in their only matchup of the regular season.<\/p>\n<p>Purdue led by as many as 11 points in the first half, staking to a 35-24 lead at the 6:52 mark. Facing a 10-point deficit,\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/zvonimir-ivisic\/15207\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15207\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/zvonimir-ivisic\/15207\">Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0and Wagler each buried 3-pointers in the final minute of the half to keep the Orange and Blue within striking distance, 43-39.<\/p>\n<p>Coming out of the locker room, Wagler scored the first five and a\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14518\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\">Jake Davis<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0layup capped a 7-0 Illini run as Illinois swung the first of 12 second-half lead changes in their direction. Neither team led by more than five for the remainder of the contest until\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/david-mirkovic\/15218\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15218\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/david-mirkovic\/15218\">David Mirkovic&#8217;s<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0free-throws shut the door with five seconds to play.<\/p>\n<p>Purdue was led by senior guard Braden Smith who tallied 27 points and a game-high 12 assists. Smith broke a 68-68 tie at the 5:18 with a 3-pointer and knocked down a jumper in the paint with go give the Boilermakers a 73-68 edge with 4:36 left in the game.<\/p>\n<p>The Illini answered with a 5-0 run, capped by a\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/tomislav-ivisic\/14520\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14520\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/tomislav-ivisic\/14520\">Tomislav Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a03-pointer at the 3:31 mark. Following a bucket by Purdue&#8217;s Trey Kaufman-Renn, the Illini got back-to-back triples from\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14518\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\">Jake Davis<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0and Mirkovic to take a 79-75 lead inside of 2 minutes on the clock and never trailed again in closing out the win.<\/p>\n<p>Illinois now turns its attention to Thursday&#8217;s home matchup vs. Washington. Tipoff between the Fighting Illini and the Huskies is set for 8 p.m. CT at State Farm Center.<\/p>\n<h3>POSTGAME NOTES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Player Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15216\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\">Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0put together one of the greatest scoring performances in college basketball history with 46 points (13-17 FG, 9-11 3PT, 11-13 FT) and four assists.\n<ul>\n<li>The most points scored in a road win over a top-10 opponent in AP poll history.\n<ul>\n<li>His 46 points were the most against a top-10 team since Malik Monk scored 47 against #7 North Carolina on Dec. 17, 2016.<\/li>\n<li>Wagler&#8217;s 46 points were the most against a top-5 team on the road since Buddy Hield dropped 46 points for Oklahoma in a loss at #1 Kansas on Jan. 4, 2016.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set the Illinois freshman scoring record.\n<ul>\n<li>Was previously 35, set by Giorgi Bezhanishvili vs. Rutgers on Feb. 5, 2019.<\/li>\n<li>Scored the most points by a freshman in a Big Ten game since at least 2010-11.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Tied for the second-most points by an Illini in program history.\n<ul>\n<li>1. 53 \u2013 Dave Downey at Indiana, Feb. 16, 1963<\/li>\n<li><strong>T2. 46 \u2013\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15216\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\">Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0at #4 Purdue, Jan. 24, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>T2. 46 \u2013 Andy Kaufmann vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Jan. 10, 2012<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set the Mackey Arena scoring record for a visiting player.<\/li>\n<li>Scored the most points by an Illini in a road game vs. a top-5 team since at least 2010-11.\n<ul>\n<li>Became the first Illinois player to score 40+ against a top-5 opponent since Brandon Paul&#8217;s 43 points vs. #5 Ohio State on Jan. 10, 2012.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Posted the first 40-point game by an Illini since Terrence Shannon Jr.&#8217;s 40-point outing in the Big Ten Tournament vs. Nebraska on March 16, 2024.<\/li>\n<li>Broke the Illinois program record with nine 3-pointers.\n<ul>\n<li>Broke the previous mark of 8, which was achieved six times, most recently by Terrence Shannon Jr. vs. UCLA on Nov. 18, 2022.<\/li>\n<li>His 81.8% 3-point field goal percentage ranks as the eighth-best mark by a freshman in program history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>His 13 field goals are tied for the second-most by a freshman in program history.\n<ul>\n<li>1. 14 \u2013 Giorgi Bezhanishvili vs. Rutgers, Feb. 9, 2019<\/li>\n<li><strong>T2. 13 \u2013\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15216\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\">Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0at #4 Purdue, Jan. 24, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>T2. 13 \u2013\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/staff-directory\/deon-thomas\/1637\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"1637\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/staff-directory\/deon-thomas\/1637\">Deon Thomas<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dec. 3, 1990<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>His 11 free throws are tied for the fifth-most by a freshman in program history.<\/li>\n<li>Scored in double figures for the 12<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0consecutive game and for the 17<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0time overall this season.\n<ul>\n<li>Averaging 20.1 ppg during that stretch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Hit at least one 3-pointer in 19 of the first 20 games of his collegiate career, the most games with a triple on the team this season.<\/li>\n<li>Led the Illini in scoring for the team-leading seventh time this season.<\/li>\n<li>Scored the Illini&#8217;s first 14 points of the night and 24 of the Illini&#8217;s 39 first-half points.\n<ul>\n<li>Broke his career-high in scoring with nine seconds remaining in the first half.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/andrej-stojakovic\/15217\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15217\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/andrej-stojakovic\/15217\">Andrej Stojakovic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0finished with five points, seven rebounds, and an assist.\n<ul>\n<li>Grabbed multiple offensive rebounds for the ninth time this season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/david-mirkovic\/15218\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15218\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/david-mirkovic\/15218\">David Mirkovic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0tallied 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.\n<ul>\n<li>Scored in double figures for the third straight game and for the 14<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0time this season.<\/li>\n<li>Corralled at least three offensive rebounds for the ninth time this season.\n<ul>\n<li>Has multiple o boards in seven of the last eight games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/tomislav-ivisic\/14520\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14520\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/tomislav-ivisic\/14520\">Tomislav Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0connected on two 3-pointers and finished with seven points and eight rebounds.\n<ul>\n<li>His 83 3-pointers are the most in the NCAA by a 7-footer over the last two seasons.<\/li>\n<li>Tied his season-high with four offensive rebounds.\n<ul>\n<li>Has at least three o boards in each of the last four games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14518\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\">Jake Davis<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0finished with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists.\n<ul>\n<li>Made his fifth start of the season, second consecutive in place of injured\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kylan-boswell\/14523\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14523\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kylan-boswell\/14523\">Kylan Boswell<\/a><\/dfn>.<\/li>\n<li>His 3-pointer with 2:29 remaining gave the Illini a 76-75 advantage, a lead they maintained the rest of the way.<\/li>\n<li>Had multiple offensive rebounds for the fifth time this season and for the second straight game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/ben-humrichous\/14519\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14519\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/ben-humrichous\/14519\">Ben Humrichous<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0knocked down two 3-pointers, totaling six points and four rebounds.\n<ul>\n<li>Team-leading 44th game with a 3-pointer over the last two seasons.<\/li>\n<li>Had multiple treys for the sixth time this season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/zvonimir-ivisic\/15207\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15207\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/zvonimir-ivisic\/15207\">Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0amassed four points, two rebounds, two blocks, and an assist off the bench.\n<ul>\n<li>Had multiple blocks for the 13<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0time this season.\n<ul>\n<li>Has 2+ blocks in eight of the last nine games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Team Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Starters:\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14518\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jake-davis\/14518\">Jake Davis<\/a><\/dfn>,\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/tomislav-ivisic\/14520\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14520\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/tomislav-ivisic\/14520\">Tomislav Ivisic<\/a><\/dfn>,\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/david-mirkovic\/15218\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15218\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/david-mirkovic\/15218\">David Mirkovic<\/a><\/dfn>,\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/andrej-stojakovic\/15217\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15217\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/andrej-stojakovic\/15217\">Andrej Stojakovic<\/a><\/dfn>, and\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"15216\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/keaton-wagler\/15216\">Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/dfn>.\n<ul>\n<li>Second straight game without\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kylan-boswell\/14523\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"14523\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kylan-boswell\/14523\">Kylan Boswell<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0(broken right hand).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Illinois knocked down a program-record-tying 18 3-pointers.\n<ul>\n<li>The Illini have made at least 10 3-pointers in six straight games and in 15 contests overall this season, posting a 13-2 record.<\/li>\n<li>Most in a game since hitting 18 on Dec. 18, 2021 in a home win vs. Saint Francis (PA).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Illinois improves to 17-3 overall, the team&#8217;s best 20-game start since also opening 17-3 in 2008-09.<\/li>\n<li>The Illini secured their highest ranked road win since defeating #2 Michigan on March 2, 2021.\n<ul>\n<li>Illinois&#8217; sixth win over a Top-5 win under\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/brad-underwood\/2102\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"2102\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/brad-underwood\/2102\">Brad Underwood<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0since 2019-20, tied for fifth-most in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The Illini are now 8-1 in Big Ten play, the program&#8217;s best conference start since 2004-05.<\/li>\n<li>Illinois is now 5-0 in Big Ten road games for the first time since 2004-05, when they won their first seven league road games.\n<ul>\n<li>Dating back to last season, the Illini now hold a six-game Big Ten road win streak, the program&#8217;s longest run since winning six consecutive league road games from Feb. 27, 2021, through Jan. 11, 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Illinois has won nine straight games since Dec. 22, the team&#8217;s longest win streak of the season, and the program&#8217;s longest since winning 12 straight games to open the 2012-13 season.\n<ul>\n<li>The team&#8217;s nine-game winning streak is their longest under head coach\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/brad-underwood\/2102\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"2102\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/brad-underwood\/2102\">Brad Underwood<\/a><\/dfn>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Saturday&#8217;s victory marked the 100<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0Big Ten win of head coach\u00a0<dfn><a href=\"https:\/\/fightingillini.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/brad-underwood\/2102\" rel=\"smarttag\" rev=\"2102\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/brad-underwood\/2102\">Brad Underwood<\/a><\/dfn>&#8216;s career.\n<ul>\n<li>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).<\/li>\n<li>He is the fourth active Big Ten coach with 100+ B1G wins, joining Michigan State&#8217;s Tom Izzo (367, 31st year), Purdue&#8217;s Matt Painter (246, 21st year), and Wisconsin&#8217;s Greg Gard (123, 11th year).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The #11 Illini are:\n<ul>\n<li>669-270 (.712) all-time when ranked inside the AP Top 25.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>This marks Illinois&#8217; 89<sup>th\u00a0<\/sup>Big Ten win since 2019-20, breaking the tie with Purdue for the most in the league over the last seven seasons.\n<ul>\n<li>Illinois also leads the Big Ten with 39 road wins in league play over the last seven seasons, five more than any other program since 2019-20 (Purdue 34).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Illinois snapped a three-game skid against the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, marking the Illini&#8217;s first road victory over Purdue since Jan. 21, 2020.<\/li>\n<li>Illinois outrebounded Purdue 33-19, including a 13-3 edge on the offensive glass.\n<ul>\n<li>Illinois has outrebounded 18 of 20 opponents this season with a 16-2 record in those contests.<\/li>\n<li>The Illini scored 18 second-chance points on those offensive rebounds while holding Purdue to just two second-chance points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2013Freshman Keaton Wagler\u00a0poured in 46 points, including a school-record nine 3-pointers, to lift No. 11 Illinois to a key 88-82 road win over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basketball"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wagler Hits Stride With 46 Points As Illini Beat Purdue - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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