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GREENVILLE, S.C. — Andrej Stojakovic led the charge with 21 points, guiding third-seeded Illinois to a commanding 76-55 victory over No. 11 seed VCU on Saturday. This triumph propels Illinois to the Sweet 16, marking their second appearance in three years under the leadership of coach Brad Underwood.
Contributing to the Fighting Illini’s (26-8) success, Tomislav Ivisic delivered a solid performance with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Keaton Wagler added 14 points. Up next, Illinois will clash with South Region’s second seed, Houston, who recently overpowered Texas A&M with an 88-57 win.
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Following the victory, an elated Underwood expressed his joy by energetically waving his arms to engage the Illinois fans.
With a significant height advantage, Illinois dominated defensively, restricting VCU to just 35% shooting and securing a 45-29 edge in rebounds. The Illini also showcased their defensive prowess by blocking five shots.
For VCU (28-8), Terrence Hill Jr. stood out, contributing 17 points in their effort against Illinois.
VCU’s Nyk Lewis went down for the game with a sprained right ankle in the opening minute and Illinois bolted to 20-8 lead.
But just as they did on Thursday night against No. 6 seed North Carolina, when they came storming back from a 19-point, second-half deficit to win 82-78 in overtime, the Rams got back in it with a series of 3-pointers to take a 28-26 lead behind 12 first-half points from Hill.
But VCU couldn’t sustain the momentum.
Illinois took control late in the first half with Stojakovic scoring all nine points during a 9-0 stretch to close the half.
The second half was all Illinois.
The Illini pushed their lead to 17 early in the second half after VCU turnovers led to a high-flying transition dunk from Zvonimir Ivisic and Kylan Boswell’s 3 from the top of the key to beat the shot clock.
The lead got to 23 with 4 minutes remaining, setting off a celebration among Illinois fans.
Up next
Illinois is 3-2 all-time against Houston, but the Cougars won the most recent meeting 68-53 victory in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.
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