CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Rutgers (12-4, 3-2) limited Illinois (12-5, 4-2) to 28.6 percent (18-of-63) shooting, the lowest ever mark by an RU foe in Big Ten play, but the Illini out-scored the visitors 10-5 over the final five minutes to secure a 54-51 victory Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Center. Jacob Young shot 4-of-7 from behind the arc to pace the Scarlet Knights with 16 points in the hard-fought defeat.

"There weren't a lot of opportunities to get up and down the court," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "They are very physical and so are we. Two evenly matched teams. We wanted to not let them get up and down the court and they did the same to us."

Illinois' performance at the charity stripe was decisive, as the home squad made 16-of-19 to benefit from a 13-point differential at the foul line.

"I like to drive it," said Pikiell. "I like to get to the free throw line. Obviously, they beat us in that area. I didn't like our rebounding. We needed to be plus on them."

Akwasi Yeboah scored six of Rutgers' first 10 points with a pair of triples, as the Scarlet Knights jumped-out to a six-point (10-4) advantage. The defensive intensity was apparent early, as Illinois started just 4-of-19 from the field.

The Illini battled back before its home crowd, utilizing a 7-0 run to take its first lead, 15-12.

The Scarlet Knights countered, pushing right back in front, before maintaining the advantage for 16 minutes. RU held Illinois without a field goal for the final 7:47 of the half and entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 21-18 lead.

After the break, a 7-0 spurt, behind a Ron Harper Jr. 3-pointer, put Rutgers ahead 26-22. Illinois responded with a run, but Young answered with two 3-pointers to tie the score at 34.

Back-to-back baskets from Myles Johnson pushed Rutgers ahead 38-37, but Illinois answered to go in front 42-38. The visitors once again punched back, as a third 3-pointer from Young, followed by a Montez Mathis triple provided a 46-44 edge.

An 8-0 run by the hosts put them in front for good, 52-46.

Young hit his fourth triple to keep RU alive, enabling a one-possession game. Illinois maintained its confidence at the free-throw line in the clutch, however, to improve to 10-1 at home.

"That's a well-coached team," added Pikiell. "It was a great environment. They have a lot of weapons. Coach Underwood has done a good job. We have to play better on the road to win in this league."

Rutgers returns to the RAC, where it has an 11-0 record, to host Indiana on Wednesday evening. Limited tickets are available for the contest, which will tip-off at 7 p.m. on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Brian Butch on the call.

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GAME NOTES

• Illinois shot 28.6 percent from the field, the lowest by an RU opponent shot this year and the lowest mark a Big Ten team has shot versus RU since it joined the conference.
• Montez Mathis tied his season-high with six rebounds.
• Mamadou Doucoure had a season-high six rebounds
• Shaq Carter tied his career-high with two blocks.
• Jacob Young scored 16 points off the bench, reaching double-digits for the sixth time this year and 15^th in his career. He made a season-high four three-pointers, tying Rutgers' record for most three-pointers made in a Big Ten game. 
• Rutgers held Illinois to 18 first half points, its lowest output in any half this year.
• Illinois holds the overall advantage in the series 8-1.

POSTGAME QUOTES 

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell

On Jacob Young: "He's grown leaps and bounds. With Geo (Baker) out we need some veteran guys. He's done a great job getting to the rim. I like his defense too. I really like the progress that he's made. He's practicing better every day too"

On the offense: "I like to drive it. I like to get to the free throw line. Obviously, they beat us in that area. I didn't like our rebounding. We needed to be plus on them. I didn't like a lot of things. You have to play better basketball on the road against a really good team. That's a well-coached team. It was a great environment. They have a lot of weapons. Coach Underwood has done a good job. We have to play better on the road to win in this league."

On the pace of the game: "They are really good defensively, and I think we are pretty good defensively, too. They are a really-good rebounding team and so are we. It was one of those games. There weren't a lot of opportunities to get up and down the court. They are very physical and so are we. Two evenly matched teams. We wanted to not let them get up and down the court and they did the same to us."

On Myles Johnson's foul trouble: "I think he's one of the best big guys in the league. So when he's on the bench, that's not going to be a good thing for us. He has to do a better job to stay on the floor, especially against the biggest front court in the league."