Wagler stars as No. 13 Illinois beats Northwestern 79-68 for 6th straight win

EVANSTON, Ill. — Keaton Wagler scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and No. 13 Illinois beat Northwestern 79-68 on Wednesday night for their season-high sixth consecutive victory.

Tomislav Ivisic added 21 points and seven rebounds as Illinois (14-3, 5-1 Big Ten) won at Northwestern for the first time since Jan. 29, 2022. The Illini had dropped their last three games in Evanston.

Jayden Reid led Northwestern with a career-high 28 points, including 20 in the second half. Nick Martinelli had 20 points.

The Wildcats (8-9, 0-6) shot 39% (22 for 56) from the field in their fourth consecutive loss.

Northwestern trimmed an 11-point deficit to 53-47 on Reid’s jumper with 13:28 left. But Illinois responded with a 9-0 run.

Jake Davis made a 3-pointer, and Wagler drove inside for a three-point play. Wagler then connected from deep, making it 62-47 with 9:43 remaining.

After Reid and Martinelli rallied the Wildcats once again, Wagler set up Ivisic for a 3-pointer that made it 72-63 with 2:53 to go.

Wagler, one of the top freshmen in the country, finished with five rebounds and three assists. He shot 7 for 12 from the field in the second half.

Kylan Boswell had 13 points and six assists for Illinois, which used its superior size to outscore Northwestern 34-18 in the paint.

Ivisic and David Mirkovic made consecutive 3-pointers during a 10-2 run that helped Illinois to a 38-33 halftime lead. Boswell scored nine points for the Illini in the first half, and Martinelli had 11 points for the Wildcats at the break.

Up next

Illinois: Hosts Minnesota on Saturday.

Northwestern: Hosts No. 8 Nebraska on Saturday.