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Trent Frazier can still get buckets. Once the go-to scorer in Illinois basketball for parts of his debut season, Trent Frazier evolved into a different player as the Illini program became a winner.
But Frazier in the last two games has elevated his offense to freshman levels. After scoring a season-high 24 points in Friday’s victory over No.8 Iowa, the senior goaltender scored 14 of 19 points for Illini to lead the No.12 Illinois to a 75-71 overtime win at Indiana. In a match that lasted 2 hours and 44 minutes, the Illini (12-5, 8-3 Big Ten) broke a seven-game losing streak at Assembly Hall dating back to 2010.
After Frazier scored 10 straight points to force overtime, Illinois beat Indiana 7-3 in extra period as Indiana (9-8, 4-6 Big Ten) shot 0 for 4 since the field with two turnovers in overtime. Andre Curbelo fed Kofi Cockburn for a categorical slam with 17 seconds left to seal the victory.
Frazier led Illinois with a team record 19 points, 4 of 9 of three. Kofi Cockburn had her 12th double-double in the NCAA lead to lead Illinois with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
First year care André Curbelo added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench. Star Guard Illini Come on, Dosunmu was limited to 10 points on a 2 for 11 shot as he struggled to finish at the rim, and he fouled on a questionable charge call with 2:40 left.
Indiana before Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but only shot 6 for 18 from the field. Thompson Race had a strong game for the Hoosiers, filling the box scoring with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks.
Illinois took an 8-5 lead early on, but Trent Frazier was called on a technical foul for saying something to the Indiana bench after three facts – an appeal criticized by ESPN. The Hoosiers responded with a 7-0 run to take the lead. The first half featured six lead changes and six draws before Indiana finished the half on a 13-3 run to take a 41-34 halftime lead as the Hoosiers went beat the Illini 20-12 in the paint.
But the Illinois defense tightened in the second half, starting a 16-6 inning to start the half, including a 7-0 run to take a 50-47 lead. But Illinois’ problems and struggles to finish at the rim cost them in an Indiana 7-0 to regain a 54-50 lead.
But Frazier went on a personal 8-0 run with less than five minutes to go to erase a six-point lead in Indiana. With Ayo Dosunmu and Girogi Bezhanishvili on the bench after a foul, Frazier then made the free throws with 42 seconds left.
Both teams struggled to score in overtime but Illinois played the lockdown defense, Cockburn’s dunk gave them a boost and they made just enough free throws (including two from Da’Monte Williams with 2.9 seconds left) for a big road victory.
Game Statistics: After allowing Indiana to score 1.242 points per possession in the first half, Illinois limited the Hoosiers to 0.844 points per possession in the second half and 0.429 points per possession in overtime.
The teams combined for 54 fouls in a tightly refereed match that included 66 free throws.
Illinois and Indiana both struggled at the rim: Illinois 9 for 23 in layups and Indiana 8 for 20 in layups.
What this means: What a courageous victory – and one to be remembered later – in a game that must have been difficult to play due to the fast referees. With their star on the bench for the final eight minutes, Illinois have found a way to lock in defensively and beat a team that is fighting for its life in NCAA tournaments. Illinois need to stack wins for a chance at a Big Ten championship, and they followed a trademark victory with a lesser but equally important Quad 1 road victory over a desperate team from the Indiana. The Illini followed two home losses last month with three straight wins and have now won seven of their last nine at the conference. The Illini are keeping pace with Michigan, which is on hiatus, and which hosts Illinois in their first game after their program stoppage on Feb.11. season game of the year.
Game Star: Kofi Cockburn didn’t lead the team in scoring, but he had a huge impact on the game at the rim, both offensively and defensively. Jackson-Davis needed 18 shots to score 19 points, and Cockburn’s ability to modify shots at the rim was significant as Indiana shot 8 for 20 at the rim.
Do not forget: Illini staff at the four injured them. Jacob Grandison did it again but was shot as he didn’t add much on defense or glass. Da ‘Monte Williams struggled again because he gave up a lot of stature to Thompson and Jackson-Davis.
And after: Illinois play another flagship game on Saturday as they host Wisconsin, another Big Ten title contender, for a 1:30 p.m. prediction on Saturday (FOX). After starting the season 10-2, Wisconsin (14-5, 8-4) have lost three of their last seven games, but are still ranked high in metrics: No.11 KenPom and No.17 NET. During the conference game, Wisconsin has No. 3 defensive efficiency, but only shoots 33.2 percent from the field. As always, the Badgers – the most experienced team in the Big Ten – play the slowest pace in the Big Ten, forcing teams to be disciplined as the Badgers have the lowest turnover rate in the Big Ten. Five Badgers averaging 9.0 points or more: D’Mitrik Trice (14.1), Micah potter (12.3) Aleem ford (9.6), Nate reuvers (9.5) and Brad Davison (9.1).
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