Trent Frazier can still get buckets. Once upon a time, the Illinois basketball player was in parts of his freshman season, Trent Frazier developed into another player as the Illini program became a winner.
But Frazier has increased his offense to first-year level over the past two games. After scoring a season-high 24 points in Friday’s No. 8 win over Iowa, the senior guard scored 14 of Illini’s 19 points to lead No. 12 in Illinois to a 75-71 victory over Indiana . In a game that lasted 2 hours and 44 minutes, the Illini (12-5, 8-3 Big Ten) broke a seven-game losing streak at Assembly Hall dating back to 2010.
After Frazier scored ten consecutive points to force overtime, Illinois outscored Indiana 7-3 in the overtime when Indiana (9-8, 4-6 Big Ten) shot 0-for-4 from the field with two turnovers in overtime. Andre Curbelo led Kofi Cockburn with 17 seconds left for an emphatic blow to clinch the victory.
Frazier led Illinois with a team high of 19 points, making 4 of 9 out of three. Kofi Cockburn had its NCAA leading 12th doubles to lead Illinois with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
First year guard Andre Curbelo from the bench added 12 points, five rebounds and four assistants. Illini sterwag Ayo Dosunmu he was limited to 10 points on the 2-for-11 shooting as he struggled to finish on the edge, and he had a questionable charge with 2:40 left.
Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but shot just 6-for-18 off the field. Thompson Race had a strong game for the Hoosiers and filled the score with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assistants and two blocks.
Illinois led 8-5 early, but Trent Frazier a technical violation because he said something to the Indiana bank after a try, a call criticizing the ESPN broadcast. The Hoosiers responded with a 7-0 run to take the lead. The first half featured six lead changes and six draws before Indiana finished the half on a 13-3 run to take a 41-34 lead at halftime as the Hoosiers outscored the Illini 20-12 in the paint.
But the Illinois defense climbed down in the second half, with a run of 16-6 to start the half, including a 7-0 run to take a 50-47 lead. But Illinois’ bad problems and struggling to finish on the edge cost them 7-0 during an Indiana to regain a 54-50 lead.
But Frazier had a personal 8-0 run with less than five minutes left to erase a six-point lead in Indiana. With Ayo Dosunmu and Girogi Bezhanishvili on the bench after chasing out, Frazier then made the free throw with 42 seconds left.
Both teams struggled to score overtime, but Illinois played the defense, Cockburn’s dunk gave them a boost and they made just enough free kicks (including two from Da’Monte Williams with 2.9 seconds left) to ‘ to achieve a great victory.
Statistics of the game: After Indiana scored 1,242 points per possession in the first half, Illinois limited the Hoosiers to 0.844 points per possession and 0.429 points per possession in the overtime in the second half.
The teams combined for 54 offenses in a game with a strict decision that included 66 free throws.
Illinois and Indiana both struggled on the edge: Illinois 9-for-23 on layups and Indiana 8-for-20 on layups.
What it means: What a courageous victory – and one to be remembered later – in a match that had to be difficult to play due to quick whistle-blowing officials. With his star on the bench for the final eight minutes, Illinois has found a way to finish defensively and defeat a team fighting for its NCAA tournament. Illinois must score a win to have a chance of winning a Big Ten Championship, and that follows on from winning a party with a less important but equally important victory in the Quad 1 road against a desperate Indiana team. The Illini followed up two home losses last month with three consecutive wins and have now won seven of their last nine during conference play. The Illini are keeping pace with Michigan, who were interrupted, and who are hosting Illinois in their first game of the precautionary measure of their program on February 11th. If Illinois persists, the one-time game between the Big Ten contenders could be the regular season game of the year.
Star of the game: Kofi Cockburn did not lead the team to score, but he had a great influence on the game, both offensive and defensive. Jackson-Davis needed 18 shots to score 19 points, and Cockburn’s ability to change shots on the edge was significant because Indiana shot 8-for-20 on the edge.
Do not miss: The Illini’s staff at the four hurt them. Jacob Grandison started again but was pulled because he did not add much for defense or the glass. Da ‘Monte Williams struggled again because he gave up a lot of size to Thompson and Jackson-Davis.
What’s next: Illinois play another party game on Saturday while hosting Wisconsin, another big ten contender for the title, for a 13:30 tip on Saturday (FOX). After starting the season 10-2, Wisconsin (14-5, 8-4) has lost three of its last seven games, but is still high on the rankings: KenPom no. 11 and NET 17. During conference, Wisconsin presented the defense efficiency no. 3, but shoots just 33.2 percent off the field. As always, the Badgers – the most experienced team in the Big Ten – play the slowest pace in the Big Ten, forcing teams to be disciplined because the Badgers have the lowest turnover in the Big Ten. Five Badgers averaged 9.0 or more points: D’Mitrik Trice (14.1), Micah Potter (12.3) Aleem Ford (9.6), Nate Reuvers (9.5) and Brad Davison (9.1).
