Sasha Stefanovic scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 4 Purdue outlasted No. 17 Illinois 96-88 in double overtime on Monday in Champaign, Ill.
Zach Edey added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (15-2, 4-2), which outscored Illinois (13-4, 6-1) 16-10 in the second overtime. Jaden Ivey contributed 19 points, Trevion Williams hit for 14 and Eric Hunter chipped in 11, eight in the second overtime.
The loss was the first for the Fighting Illini in Big Ten Conference play and it came in the timely return of point guard Andre Curbelo from a two-month absence.
Lefty sharpshooter Alfonso Plummer drilled six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points (22 after halftime) for the Illini. Curbelo, sidelined since November, added 20. Trent Frazier netted 16 points and six assists, while Kofi Cockburn tallied 10 points before fouling out 40 seconds into the first overtime.
Plummer’s last 3-pointer pulled Illinois within 85-83 with 2:06 left in double overtime, but Williams and Hunter followed with buckets. Ivey added a free throw with 44 seconds remaining for a seven-point lead that the Illini couldn’t erase.
Illinois forced overtime when Curbelo drove baseline for a reverse layup with 14.1 seconds left in regulation. It extended the game into a second overtime on Plummer’s layup with 8.9 seconds remaining.
Purdue got off the mark quickly in this one, establishing a 14-7 lead at the 13:55 mark when Williams canned a jumper. But Illinois responded with a 10-0 run later in the half, taking a 24-20 edge when Plummer bombed in a 3-pointer with 7:06 left.
After being held scoreless for nearly four minutes, the Boilermakers came up with 17 consecutive points. Isaiah Thompson started the run with a 3-pointer and Edey fueled it with a couple of buckets after Cockburn departed to keep from drawing a third foul.
Cockburn returned to hit two free throws with four seconds remaining, breaking a 7:02 scoreless streak for the Illini. But Purdue still headed for halftime with a comfortable 37-26 lead, thanks to a defense that held Illinois to 31 percent shooting from the field.
–Field Level Media