Box Score
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Kadeem Jack posted 17 points and nine rebounds, and Myles Mack added 16 points, but it was not enough as Rutgers (10-14, 2-9) fell to Illinois (15-8, 5-5) by a score of 66-54 in front of 12,838 fans at the State Farm Center on Tuesday evening. The Scarlet Knights established a 32-18 advantage in points in the paint in a contest that featured three ties and nine lead changes.
"We gave great effort," said Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan. "I'm proud of our kids. We need to find a third scorer...It could be one guy, it could be done by committee or night after night it could be a different guy. Kadeem and Myles need some help in the scoring department."
Illinois shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) and was 9-9 at the free throw line to earn the victory. The Scarlet Knights made 42 percent (21-of-50) of their field goal attempts but were out-scored 21-12 beyond the arc.
In the early going, the Illini opened up a 10-4 advantage in front of the home crowd. But the Scarlet Knights countered with a run to swing the momentum. RU out-scored Illinois for an 11-2 run over a 6:39 stretch, taking a 15-12 lead.
A long-range three-pointer from Mack extended the advantage, but the Illini responded with back-to-back three-pointers to capture a five-point lead. Illinois would finish the half on an 8-0 run over the last four minutes to take a 35-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Once again, Mack was a sparkplug for the Scarlet Knights in the opening stanza, recording 12 points and four rebounds. The Illini made 53.8 percent of their shots (14-of-26) in the opening 20 minutes.
Coming out of the break, Illinois used a 12-6 run to push their advantage to 47-30, then Bishop Daniels and Junior Etou made three-pointers to cut into the deficit.
RU pushed back with a late surge, and cut the Illini lead into single digits at 59-51 with 4:22 left to play. Jack hit a three to cut the lead to eight points, but the Scarlet Knights could not get closer as the Illini finished off the victory.
Rutgers returns to the hardwood on Sunday against No. 20 Ohio State at the RAC. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be televised live nationally on the Big Ten Network. The contest is sold out to the general public, but student tickets are still available.
Postgame Notes
· Myles Mack scored 16 points. He now has 1,577 points for his career, passing Ricky Shields for ninth place on Rutgers' all-time scoring list.
· Mack played in his 120th career game (99th start).
· Kadeem Jack had 17 points and nine rebounds. Jack led the team in scoring for the seventh time this year and was RU's leading rebounder for the 10th time.
· Jack now has 94 career blocks, tying Gregory Echenique for 13th place on Rutgers' leaderboard.
· Mack and Jack have both been had double figures in the same game 12 different times this season.
· Rutgers is now 0-2 all-time versus Illinois.
· Rutgers started guard Myles Mack, guard Bishop Daniels, forward Junior Etou, forward Kadeem Jack and center Greg Lewis for the third straight game and the ninth time this season.
