Men's Basketball Downed By No. 3 Illinois

Friday, March 12

Indianapolis, Ind.

6:30 PM

Rutgers University

15-11,10-10Big Ten

University of Illinois

21-6,16-4Big Ten

Rutgers

Illinois

Photo by: Marc Lebryk

Mar 12 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Big Ten Tournament Central Rutgers Illinois Box Score Postgame Press Conference Postgame Notes Postgame Quotes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Rutgers men's basketball (15-11) faced the No. 3 ranked team in the nation on Friday evening, ultimately falling to the second-seeded Illinois (21-6) in the Big Ten Tournament, 90-68. Ron Harper Jr. led the team offensively with 20 points, reaching 1,000 career points in the process.

Illini grabbed the lead at the outset, taking a 9-0 advantage. RU responded with a 9-2 run of their own, but Illinois continued to push the lead. The Illini extended their advantage to as much as 19 in the opening half. Using a rebounding edge and taking advantage of Rutgers' foul trouble, Illinois led 47-28 at halftime.

Rutgers did not relent to open the second half. The Scarlet Knights made eight of their first 13 shots of the half to fight back. However, the Illini offense was too much, and pulled away down the stretch.

The Scarlet Knights will wait to hear their postseason fate. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is slated for 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Postgame Notes

Ron Harper Jr.

Became the 45^th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points
Scored in double-figures for the 20^th time this season and 48^th time in his career.
Reached 20+ points for the seventh time this season and 13th time in his career.
In his career against Illinois, he has averaged 19.8 points per game

Geo Baker