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Freshman guard Keaton Wagler made a career-best five 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead No. 20 Illinois to a 91-48 rout of Missouri on Monday night.
Andrej Stojakovic returned from a first-half injury to score 16 points and Tomislav Ivisic added 14 as the Fighting Illini (9-3) rolled to the lopsided victory in Braggin’ Rights rivalry history.
Sebastian Mack had 17 points off the bench to lead Missouri (10-3) as coach Dennis Gates left his reserves for most of the second half with the game out of hand.
After building a 16-point halftime lead, the Illini put it on with two 3-pointers from Ivisic in the opening minutes of the second half and eventually pulled their starters with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.
The previous largest margin of victory in the series, which has been played 45 times since 1980, was Illinois’ 82-50 blowout in 2005, coming off a Final Four run.
Wagler went 5 for 6 from 3-point range and improved to 12 for 18 in the past three games.
The Illini began to pull away midway through the first half with a run fueled by second-chance points on one end and blocks on the other.
Wagler, Ben Humrichous and Jake Davis all hit 3-pointers that followed offensive rebounds during a four-minute stretch that also featured three blocks by Zvonimir Ivisic.
Anthony Robinson II scored Missouri’s first nine points to keep it close early, but the Tigers trailed 41-25 when he closed the first half by hitting a free throw for his 10th point. He finished with 12.
Stojakovic, Illinois’ second leading scorer, went to the locker room with nine minutes left in the first half after appearing to injure his left leg. He returned to the bench before halftime and started the second half, even riding a thunderous dunk to make it 63-36 midway through the second half.
Next
Missouri opens SEC play at home Jan. 3 against No. 22 Florida.
Illinois hosts Southern next Monday.
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