No. 5 Purdue defends Illinois’ 2nd-half rally for 76-71 win
March 5, 2023 GMTWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Brandon Newman scored a season-high 19 points, Zach Edey added 17, and No. 5 Purdue held on to beat Illinois 76-71 on Sunday to become the first Big Ten team since 2014 to win the league title by three or more games.
Illinois holds off Michigan 91-87 in double overtime
March 3, 2023 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Matthew Mayer scored 24 points, Terrence Shannon Jr. added 21 and Illinois held off Michigan 91-87 in double overtime on Thursday night.
Mayer opened the second overtime with a 3-pointer and a layup and the Fighting Illini (20-10, 11-8 Big Ten Conference) never trailed again.
Illinois deals Minnesota 10th straight defeat 78-69
February 21, 2023 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Matthew Mayer scored 22 points and Illinois handed Minnesota its 10th straight loss with a 78-69 victory on Monday night.
Mayer made 7 of 14 shots with two 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds for the Fighting Illini (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten Conference), who snapped a two-game skid.
Jackson-Davis scores 26, leads No. 14 Indiana past Illinois
February 18, 2023 GMTBLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Trayce Jackson-Davis quickly caught and surpassed his coach on Indiana's career scoring list Saturday. It took the senior more time to help the No. 14 Hoosiers surpass Illinois.
Perkins scores career-high 32, Iowa edges Illinois 81-79
February 4, 2023 GMTIOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Tony Perkins scored 25 of his career-high 32 points in the second half and Iowa edged Illinois 81-79 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak to the Fighting Illini.
Perkins shot 8 of 11 from the floor and missed just one of 16 free-throw attempts, all of them coming in the second half.
Illinois pulls away midway through 2nd, beats Nebraska 72-56
February 1, 2023 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Matthew Mayer scored 16 points to lead four in double figures as Illinois beat Nebraska 72-56 on Tuesday night.
Illinois (16-6, 7-4 Big Ten) has won seven of its last eight games while Nebraska (10-13, 3-9) has lost four straight.
Mayer’s career-high 26 leads Illinois over Wisconsin 61-51
January 28, 2023 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — Matthew Mayer scored 18 of his career-high 26 points in the second half and Illinois defeated Wisconsin 61-51 on Saturday.
Mayer tied his career high with five 3-pointers and shot 9 of 19 overall.
Shannon scores 17, Illinois beats Ohio State 69-60
January 25, 2023 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half, Jayden Epps added 14 points in his second career start and Illinois beat Ohio State 69-60 on Tuesday night.
Illinois wins 4th straight, 78-60 over Minnesota
January 17, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matthew Mayer had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Illinois used a big second half to beat Minnesota 78-60 on Monday night for its fourth straight victory.
Illinois pulled away in the opening five minutes of the second half with a 12-0 run to build a 47-36 lead.
Dainja, Mayer power Illinois past Michigan State, 75-66
January 14, 2023 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Dain Dainja was an inside force Michigan State had no answer for and Matthew Mayer hit clutch 3s in the second half as Illinois ended the Spartans seven-game win streak with a 75-66 win on Friday night.
Shannon leads Illini over Nebraska 76-50 with double-double
January 11, 2023 GMTLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Illinois to a 76-50 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night.
Jayden Epps scored seven points of his 13 points in an 13-0 game-ending run for the Fighting Illini (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten).
Brown scores 31, Missouri upsets No. 16 Illinois 93-71
December 23, 2022 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — Kobe Brown set career highs with 31 points and eight assists, and D’Moi Hodge added 20 points to lead Missouri to a 93-71 victory over No. 16 Illinois in their annual neutral site contest Thursday night.
Mayer scores 21 to lead No. 18 Illini past Alabama A&M 68-47
December 18, 2022 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Matthew Mayer scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help No. 18 Illinois overcome Alabama A&M’s comeback push for a 68-47 win Saturday.
Funk, Dread hot from 3 as Penn State beats No. 17 Illinois
December 10, 2022 GMTCHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Andrew Funk and Myles Dread combined for 11 3-pointers to give Penn State a 74-59 win over No. 17 Illinois on Saturday.
Funk and Jalen Pickett led all scorers with 20 points each, Seth Lundy added 16 and Dread had 15 to give the Nittany Lions (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) notched their first road Big Ten win against a top-20 team since beating No.
Shannon shines in OT, No. 17 Illinois tops No. 2 Texas 85-78
December 7, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 12 of his 16 points in overtime, including the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:34 remaining, and No. 17 Illinois rallied to hand second-ranked Texas its first loss of the season, 85-78 on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.
Thursday’s Sports In Brief
March 18, 2022 GMTCOLLEGE BASKETBALL
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tiny Saint Peter’s took down basketball royalty, getting 27 points from Daryl Banks III in an 85-79 overtime victory over second-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Defending champ Baylor opens with 85-49 win over Norfolk St
March 17, 2022 GMTFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Matthew Mayer just knew it was a perfect pass he turned into a half-ending breakaway dunk for defending national champion Baylor. He wasn't really sure what happened before he got the ball.
Flagler, Akinjo lead No. 10 Baylor past Oklahoma State in OT
February 22, 2022 GMTSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Adam Flagler scored a career-high 29 points, and James Akinjo’s pull-up jumper with 14 seconds remaining in overtime provided the winning points as No. 10 Baylor defeated Oklahoma State 66-64 on Monday night.
Obanor paces No. 11 Texas Tech for sweep of No. 7 Baylor
February 17, 2022 GMTLUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Kevin Obanor and his Texas Tech teammates responded after some choice words at halftime from coach Mark Adams to complete a season sweep of reigning national champion Baylor.
Akinjo scores 25 points as No. 8 Baylor overcomes WVU 81-77
February 1, 2022 GMTWACO, Texas (AP) — James Akinjo scored 25 points and Matthew Mayer came up big with all nine of his points late for eighth-ranked Baylor. West Virginia had to get through the final minutes without standout guard Taz Sherman.
No. 8 Baylor rallies to beat West Virginia 81-77
February 1, 2022 GMTWACO, Texas (AP) — James Akinjo scored 25 points and Matthew Mayer had all nine of his points in the closing minutes while putting No. 8 Baylor ahead to stay as the Bears overcame West Virginia 81-77 on Monday night.
Flagler, Cryer lead No. 5 Baylor past Oklahoma 65-51
January 22, 2022 GMTNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Adam Flagler scored 16 points, and No. 5 Baylor defeated Oklahoma 65-51 on Saturday.
LJ Cryer added 14 points and Matthew Mayer had 12 for the Bears (17-2, 5-2 Big 12). The defending national champions bounced back to win both games this week after losing at home to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State the previous week.
Cryer, Mayer lead No. 5 Baylor past West Virginia 77-68
January 19, 2022 GMTMORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Despite its recent struggles at home, Baylor still knows a thing or two about winning on the road, even when short-handed.
LJ Cryer and Matthew Mayer each went on a 3-point tear to set a career high for scoring, and No.
No. 4 Baylor dominates Arkansas-Pine Bluff for 99-54 win
December 5, 2021 GMTWACO, Texas (AP) — LJ Cryer and the fourth-ranked Baylor Bears were ready to get back to playing together, a week after getting home from winning a title in the Bahamas.
Cryer came off the bench to score 20 points, leading five players in double figures for the undefeated Bears in their 99-54 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday.
Spartans topple No. 22 UConn in Battle 4 Atlantis semis
November 26, 2021 GMTPARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — A.J. Hoggard hit the go-ahead free throws with 30.3 seconds left and Michigan State scored the game’s final nine points to push past No. 22 Connecticut 64-60 in Thursday’s Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.
No. 6 Baylor tops VCU 69-61, reaches Battle 4 Atlantis final
November 26, 2021 GMTPARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Baylor finally faced a test. The sixth-ranked Bears responded by cleaning up turnovers, hitting the glass and staying a step or two ahead of VCU.
Matthew Mayer scored 15 points to help the Bears hold off the Rams 69-61 in Thursday's semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis, sending Baylor into Friday's championship game.
No. 9 Baylor makes 21 steals in 92-47 win over Central Ark
November 18, 2021 GMTWACO, Texas (AP) — That was quite a steal for ninth-ranked Baylor.
LJ Cryer scored 20 points for the second game in a row and freshman Kendall Brown had 19 in a 92-47 win over Central Arkansas on Wednesday night, when the homestanding Bears tied a school record with 21 steals while forcing 29 turnovers overall.
Cryer scores 20 for No. 9 Baylor in 89-60 win over Nicholls
November 15, 2021 GMTWACO, Texas (AP) — LJ Cryer is getting his chance to lead ninth-ranked Baylor after the departure of a trio of standout guards from last season's national championship team. He also has some pretty talented freshmen around him.
No. 2 Baylor still undefeated after 84-72 win over Auburn
January 31, 2021 GMTWACO, Texas (AP) — This Baylor win was for Davion Mitchell, and the junior guard did his part against his former team...