NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dropped a 75-62 result Saturday night in a top-15 clash with No. 14/15 Illinois at Bridgestone Arena.
No. 13 Tennessee (7-3) pulled down a season-best 23 offensive rebounds, but fell shy of a third win in as many years versus the Fighting Illini. Senior forward Ja’Kobi Gillespie paced the team with 15 points and a co-game-high five assists in the Music Ciy Madness setback.
Illinois (7-2) had a 6-of-7 shooting stretch midway through the first half that gave it a 9-of-14 start and a 20-14 lead with 9:42 on the timer, while the Volunteers were just 5-of-16 from the field. Tennessee managed to cut the deficit to one on four occasions, but each time the Fighting Illini answered.
The Volunteers pulled even with 1:29 left in the frame on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Bishop Boswell and then, just 38 seconds later, took its first lead since it was 2-0 on a layup by junior forward Cade Phillips. That proved to be the final basket of the half, as Tennessee entered the locker room with a two-point advantage behind a 13-4 advantage on the offensive glass that created a 12-5 margin in second-chance points.
Illinois regained a five-point lead, 42-37, with 16:17 remaining after back-to-back 3-pointers—sandwiched around a Tennessee free throw—by freshman guard Keaton Wagler. The Volunteers went back in front, 49-48, at the 11:03 mark on a dunk by redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, but Illinois countered with a 15-3 run to make it an 11-point game, 63-52, with 6:55 left.
Tennessee scored the next five points to trim the Illinois lead to six with 5:08 left, but junior forward Zvonimir Ivisic answered with a 3-pointer at the other end. Gillespie then hit a long-range shot for the Volunteers, but Ivisic answered with another on the next possession, stretching the cushion back to nine, 69-60, with 3:55 to go. The second shot began an 8-0 burst, helping the Fighting Illini push their margin as high as 14 in the closing minutes.
Gillespie finished as the lone Volunteer with double-digit points. Freshman forward Nate Ament had nine, while senior guard Amaree Abram had eight and sophomore guard Bishop Boswell had seven to go along with a co-team-best seven rebounds.
Wagler and junior center Tomislav Ivisic had 16 points apiece for the Fighting Illini, with the former notching a game-leading eight rebounds and a co-game-high five assists. Senior guard Kylan Boswell scored 15 points and freshman forward David Mirkovic added 10 points.
Tennessee concluded the affair with a 46-31 tally on the glass, but Illinois shot 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from 3-point range.
After nine days without a game, the Volunteers resume play Dec. 16 when they host sixth-ranked Louisville at 7 p.m., live on ESPN from Food City Center.
