02/18/26 11:32:00
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02/18 23:30 CST No. 10 Illinois overwhelms USC by 36 points, cruising to its
14th win in 16 games
No. 10 Illinois overwhelms USC by 36 points, cruising to its 14th win in 16
games
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Andrej Stojakovic scored 22 points to lead seven players
in double figures and No. 10 Illinois routed Southern California 101-65 on
Wednesday night for its 14th win in 16 games.
Blue and orange-clad fans were out in force for the Fighting Illini's first
game against the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1975. The Illini (22-5, 13-3 Big
Ten) didn't disappoint, leading all the way to maintain a hold on second place
in the conference standings behind No. 1 Michigan.
The Illini were up by 22 at halftime, and poured it on to start the second
half. They outscored the Trojans 21-10, hitting five 3-pointers and extending
the lead to 75-42. Stojakovic capped the spurt with a steal and one-handed slam
that drew cheers.
Stojakovic was 6 of 7 from the floor and made all nine of his free throws.
David Mirkovic added 14 points. The Illini hit 24 of 26 free throws while
sending USC to its biggest loss of the season.
Illinois made 13 3-pointers, and at one point in the second half was shooting
equally as well from long range as from the floor overall (46%). Visiting fans
took turns shouting "I-L-L" with the other side of the arena responding "I-N-I."
Ezra Ausar scored 15 points and Jacob Cofie added 14 for USC (18-8, 7-8), which
lost its second straight and fell to 0-4 against ranked teams. The Trojans were
without second-leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara (18.3 points per game) because
of a strained knee. They committed 14 turnovers that led to 22 points for the
Illini.
Up next
Illinois visits UCLA on Saturday.
USC remains in the Pacific time zone for its final five Big Ten games, starting
Saturday when Oregon visits.
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