Illinois pulls away from UTRGV late, winning 87-73

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois did what they needed to do ahead of their huge Black Friday matchup against UConn, beating UTRGV 87-73 Monday night at the State Farm Center.

Tonight’s game was reminiscent of the last time these two teams matched up. That game took place at the State Farm Center in 2021, when the Illini knocked UTRGV off 94-85.

It wasn’t the prettiest night offensively for Illinois (6-1), as they shot just 26.7% on 30 attempts from beyond the arc. The Vaqueros on the other hand managed to shoot 42.3% from beyond the arc which kept them in the game.

Andrej Stojakovic continued his hot stretch offensively though, and led the way for the home team with 24 points on 11-for-17 from the field. Five Illini scored in double-digits, despite the team’s highest scorer on the season, Kylan Boswell, scoring just six points.

The first half was tightly contested with neither team able to pull away. The second half was more of the same. Illinois had a double-digit lead for a while, but could never quite put the game away. An 8-0 run with about five minutes to go eventually sealed the deal.

Stat Stuffers

• Andrej Stojakovic (ILL) — 24 points, 6 rebounds

• David Mirkovic (ILL) — 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists

• Filip Brankovic (UTRGV) — 15 points, 5 rebounds

• Kye Dickson (UTRGV) — 21 points, 5 rebounds

Moments that Mattered

Peja’s kid can score.

Looking Ahead

The Illini travel to Madison Square Garden to take on UConn on Black Friday. The game is on FOX at 11:30 a.m.