Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Illinois 73, Iowa 61
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 10, 2024
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
Officials: # Don Daily, # Earl Walton, # D.J. Carstensen
Attendance: 14998

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 25 points and No. 12 Illinois never trailed on the way to a 73-61 Big Ten road victory over Iowa in the teams' regular-season finale Sunday night in Iowa City.

Quincy Guerrier added 14 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (23-8, 14-6 Big Ten) while Marcus Domask recorded eight of his 11 points after Iowa trimmed a 21-point deficit to four with 11 minutes to play.

Payton Sandfort paced Iowa (18-13, 10-10) with 23 points and seven rebounds and Josh Dix notched 13 points. Tony Perkins, the Hawkeyes' No. 2 scorer and one of three players honored before the game on Senior Night, hit just 1 of 10 shots and finished with two points as Iowa scored its fewest points of the season and tied its worst field-goal percentage (35.4 percent).

Illinois and Iowa could face each other again Friday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. The Illini own the No. 2 seed and a double bye while the Hawkeyes are the No. 7 seed and face No. 10 seed Ohio State (19-12, 9-11) in the second round Thursday.

Iowa, which entered the game ranked No. 9 nationally in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, came up empty on its first 10 possessions. The Hawkeyes missed nine shots and committed one turnover in the first five minutes as Illinois took a 10-0 lead.

Sandfort ended Iowa's drought with a runner at the 14:58 mark, but Illinois extended its lead to 22-4 on Shannon's drive in transition for a three-point play with 11:50 left in the half.

Iowa switched to a zone defense at that juncture, but the Illini kept rolling. Guerrier and Shannon cashed 3-pointers, then Shannon slashed through three defenders for a layup. When he added one free throw on Illinois' next possession, he had 13 points -- two more than Iowa in a 31-11 game.

Sparked by freshman backup point guard Brock Harding, the Hawkeyes responded with a 14-2 run. Harding's 3-pointer from the wing pulled Iowa within 33-25 with 3:28 left in the half.

Illinois carried a 39-29 lead into the break. The Illini extended their margin to 14 early in the half on Shannon's driving layup and 3-pointer, but Iowa chipped away as Sandfort heated up. He drilled two 3-pointers and a jump hook to help the Hawkeyes cut the deficit to 51-47 with 11:15 to go.

That's when Domask's game-long struggles ended. He drove for a short pullup, sank a 20-foot fadeaway as the shot clock sounded and fed Dain Dainja for a layup and a dunk to reel off eight straight points and restore a 12-point margin.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Illinois   Iowa
Terrence Shannon Jr. 25 Scoring Payton Sandfort 23
Marcus Domask 3 Assists Brock Harding 6
Quincy Guerrier 13 Rebounds Owen Freeman 8
Dain Dainja 3 Free Throws Made Owen Freeman 2
Marcus Domask 1 Steals Brock Harding 2
Dain Dainja 2 Blocks Owen Freeman 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Illinois 73 44.4 5-16 12-20 9 47 5 2 12
Iowa 61 35.4 7-21 8-13 15 31 7 5 5