EUGENE, Ore. – No. 22 Illinois used balanced scoring and an efficient offensive performance to fly past No. 9 Oregon, 109-77, at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday night.
The victory marked the Fighting Illini’s first road win over a top-10 team since 2021, while the Orange and Blue surpassed the 100-point scoring mark away from home for the first time since 2016.
Shooting 57.5% from the field and 55.2% from 3-point range, the visitors had six scorers finish in double figures in the emphatic 32-point road triumph.
Tre White secured his first double-double of the season and fifth such performance of his career, posting 20 points and 11 rebounds. In addition to his second 20-point effort of the season, White also ended his night with four assists and two blocks.
Ben Humrichous connected on four 3-pointers while finishing with 18 points, his fifth outing in double figures this season. Going 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, Humrichous also accumulated two rebounds and an assist.
Kylan Boswell scored 15 points while going 4-for-5 from 3-point range, while he tacked on four assists, two steals, one rebound, and one assist.
Kasparas Jakucionis filled the stat sheet once again with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal. After dealing with foul trouble in the first half, Jakucionis went 6-for-8 from the field and registering all 16 of his points across the final 20 minutes of play.
Jake Davis poured in 12 points, his first outing this season with double-digit points. Going an efficient 5-for-6 from the field, Davis made two 3-pointers and registered all of his scoring in the first half while grabbing two of his three rebounds on the offensive glass.
Scoring in double figures for the second-straight game and for the third time this season, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn tallied 11 points while also going 5-for-6 from the floor. He also scored all of his 11 points in the first half, and he tallied two rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Tomislav Ivisic logged eight points and eight rebounds, including three offensive boards.
A 7-2 run from the Ducks to open the game gave the hosts an early five-point edge, but the Illini started to settle in following some early shooting struggles. A 12-0 Illinois run over the next three-and-a-half minutes helped the Orange and Blue establish a 14-7 lead. 10 of those points came from the Illini bench; Davis tallied four-consecutive points before Gibbs-Lawhorn scored the final six points of the scoring stretch.
The away side held Oregon scoreless for nearly four minutes, and Illinois eventually extended its advantage to double digits for the first time with 7:17 remaining in the opening half. Two 3-pointers from Davis in a 68-second span pushed the Illini lead up to 11 while also bringing him into double figures for the first time this season.
Gibbs-Lawhorn reached the double-digit scoring mark two minutes later, and two Boswell treys over the final six minutes sent the Illini into the break with a 45-38 edge. Davis totaled a game-high 12 first-half points, while Gibbs-Lawhorn was not far behind with 11 points of his own through the opening 20 minutes of action.
The visitors started the second half strong. Making four of their first five shots across the first two minutes of the period, the Orange and Blue pieced together an 11-2 run to begin the final frame and establish a 56-40 advantage with 18:12 remaining. Humrichous connected on two triples during that stretch, making him the third Illini scorer to reach double figures.
After the Ducks made their first field goal of the half, Illinois went on another long scoring run, this time using a 9-0 stretch to extend the team’s lead above the 20-point mark for the first time. Four different starters got a shot to fall during that two-minute run, which brought the Orange and Blue’s advantage up to 65-42 with just over 16 minutes left on the clock.
The hosts used a 12-1 run to cut into their deficit, but back-to-back buckets from Boswell, both of which came from behind the arc, allowed the Illini to maintain their double-digit edge, 74-58, with about 11 minutes to go.
A 13-3 Illinois run soon carried the Orange and Blue’s lead to 24. A stretch of 10-of-11 makes from the floor in the span of six-and-a-half minutes played a big role in the team’s offensive success, and the visitors continued to add onto their already sizable advantage.
The Illini led by as many as 32 in the emphatic road win, moving Illinois to 10-3 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.
No. 22 Illinois will stay on the West Coast for its next contest on Sunday against Washington. The opening tip between the Fighting Illini and the Huskies is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Tre White scored a team-high 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
- Recorded the first double-double of his Illinois career and his fifth such performance overall.
- Posted his second 20-point game of the season.
- Scored in double figures for the fourth time in his last five games and for the sixth time overall this season.
- Grabbed double-digit rebounds for the second time this season and also matched his season-high mark.
- Matched his career high in assists and blocks.
- Ben Humrichous scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed two rebounds.
- Posted double-digit points for the fifth time this season and for the first time since Nov. 20.
- Made four 3-pointers, knocking down at least four triples for the second time this season.
- Kasparas Jakucionis scored 16 points while adding six rebounds and six assists.
- Reached double-figures scoring for the eighth-straight game and the 11th time on the season, which leads the team.
- Third game this season with at least six rebounds and six assists.
- Has eight games on the season with at least six rebounds.
- Has five games on the season with at least six assists.
- Kylan Boswell scored 15 points and dished out four assists.
- Poured in double figures for the fifth-straight game and for the eighth time overall this season.
- Knocked down a season-high four 3-pointers.
- Has multiple makes from deep in two-straight games and in five contests overall this campaign.
- Has at least four assists in three-straight games and in four of his last five.
- Jake Davis came off the bench to score 12 points and secure three rebounds.
- Scored a season-high 12 points.
- Had a game-high 12 points at halftime, going 5-for-6 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
- Scored in double figures for the first time in his Illinois career.
- Has knocked down at least two 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time this season.
- Scored a season-high 12 points.
- Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn came off the bench to score 11 points, going 5-for-6 from the floor.
- Scored in double figures in consecutive games for the first time this season and for the third time overall.
- Had 11 points at halftime, adding two rebounds and an assist.
- Scored in double figures in consecutive games for the first time this season and for the third time overall.
Team Notes:
- Starting lineup: Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, Tomislav Ivisic, Kasparas Jakucionis, Tre White
- Illinois matched its season high with six players scoring in double figures.
- Ninth game this season with at least four players posting double-digits in points.
- The 32-point margin of victory is the largest ever by a road team over an AP Top 10 opponent.
- The 109 points are the second-most any team has ever scored in a regulation road game against a Top-10 opponent, trailing only Kansas State’s 116 at Texas in 2023.
- The 109 points scored by the Illini were the most by a Duck opponent this season and the most by a road team against Oregon ever.
- Illinois earned its first road win over a top-10 team since beating No. 7 Ohio State on March 6, 2021.
- The win snaps a five-game losing streak in road games against top-25 opponents, and a four-game skid in road games against ranked Big Ten foes.
- Illinois improves to 71-32 (.689) in the Big Ten since 2019-20, the best mark in the conference over that span.
- The Illini also improve upon their B1G-leading road record since 2019-20, moving to 30-22 (.577) away from home in league play over the last six seasons.
- Illinois improves to 3-2 against top-25 ranked teams this season, after also securing wins over No. 19 Arkansas and No. 20 Wisconsin.
- The Illini’s 109 points marks their best scoring output in a road game since Feb. 3, 2016, when Illinois scored 110 in a triple-overtime win at Rutgers.
- Illinois has scored 100+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign, when the Illini scored 120 against Hampton on Nov. 23, 2019, and then posted 117 against Lindenwood on Nov. 26, 2019.
- The Illini are the first Big Ten team since Feb. 9, 1989, to record 100+ points in a top-10 road win (No. 10 Michigan defeated No. 8 Iowa, 108-107).
- The Illini have now scored 100+ points three times in a season for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign, when Illinois surpassed the 100-point mark six times.
- Illinois knocked down 16 3-pointers tonight, matching its season-high mark, while shooting a season-best 55.2% from long distance.
- Have made double-digit 3-pointers for the second-straight contest and for the ninth time this season.
- The Illini started the ballgame going 0-for-7 from deep, before making 16 of their next 22 attempts from beyond the arc (.727).
- The Illini’s 16 3-pointers made tied the all-time single-game record for games played at Matthew Knight Arena.
- The Illini out-rebounded the Ducks 43-31, the third-straight game the Orange and Blue have won the battle on the boards.
- Illinois has out-rebounded its last three opponents by at least +12 and have also possessed a double-digit rebounding margin in eight games this season.
- The Illini held a 10-9 advantage on the offensive glass, scoring 13 second chance points.
- The Illini matched their season high with 48 points in the paint, set in their previous game vs. Chicago State on Sunday.
