Three-point struggles spoil Illinois’ afternoon at MSG

​​NEW YORK — Under the bright lights at Madison Square Garden, Illinois couldn’t buy a basket.

After going cold from deep and letting a late comeback slip away, No. 13 Illinois fell 74-61 to No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden in New York Friday afternoon despite another standout performance from senior guard Kylan Boswell. The defeat marks Illinois’ second straight ranked defeat and fifth straight ranked defeat at a neutral site following the loss to Alabama in Chicago at the United Center.

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The stage was set for redemption after UConn’s Elite Eight blowout victory against Illinois in 2024, but the Huskies had other plans: grabbing the lead early and never giving it up. Despite 25 points and nine rebounds from Kylan Boswell, Illinois shot just 20.7 percent from three-point range and trailed the entire game. The Ivišić twins showed up, with Zvonimir’s five blocks and Tomislav’s late double-double after a slow start, but UConn’s depth and cohesion shut the door on a comeback in the dying minutes.

After finishing with 15 first-half points, the Illini held Huskies guard Solo Ball scoreless in the second half and were able to make a dent in the lead. But with two minutes left, guard Malachi Smith’s and-one three following a mistaken shot-clock reset stretched UConn’s lead back to double digits and crushed all hope for the Illini faithful.

After starting 4-for-7 from deep, Illinois almost went as ice-cold as they did in the Elite Eight loss to UConn, missing 13 straight threes during the end of the first half and start of the second. Every Illinois push was answered by UConn’s bench, outscoring the Illini bench 31-11.

On the other hand, after shooting 52.9% from the line against Alabama, Illinois’ free-throw struggles vanished, shooting 94.4% from the line today. But everything else disappeared. UConn utilized its pace and physicality, exposing a young roster still learning to adjust to the brightest of lights.

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