Indiana lost to Illinois by a final score of 69-60 on Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
The three keys to the game, highlights and expanded stats are below.
Indiana (5-4) will host Penn State on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. in Bloomington.
Stay tuned to The Daily Hoosier for more coverage.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Hoosiers struggle from two-point range. Indiana struggled to finish around the basket all day, shooting just 16-of-40 on two point attempts. Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis particularly had difficulties, making just 3-of-13 shots for the game. Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn seemed to bother Jackson-Davis and was an imposing presence for anyone that looked to score at the rim. The officials allowed for a more physical style, calling Illinois for just 9 fouls for the entire game — and IU didn’t do well playing through contact.
2. Strong defensive effort gets lost. Illinois had scored 88 or more in its last three Big Ten contests. Indiana held the Illini under 70 points and just 44.4 percent shooting for the game. But the Hoosiers did struggle to get stops as the game wore on. Illinois scored 16 points over about a 4 minute stretch in the second half that turned a 49-44 IU lead to a 60-52 deficit. IU committed just 8 turnovers for the game which limited Illinois transition opportunities going the other way.
3. Dosunmu clutch down the stretch. Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu has built a reputation as a clutch performer, and he definitely lived up to that description on Saturday. The junior guard poured in 30 points for the game including 20 in the second half as Indiana struggled to stay in front of him. He had 13 of his 30 during that decisive 16-3 second half run that turned that game.
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