Texas Tech Red Raiders at Illinois Fighting Illini
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Stojakovic scores 23 and blocks late 3 attempt as No. 14 Illinois beats No. 11 Texas Tech 81-77
Kylan Boswell had 22 points and three players — David Mirkovic, Keaton Wagler and Zvonimir Ivisic — each scored 11 for the Fighting Illini (3-0), who let a 13-point halftime lead slip away before rallying to win.
All-American and reigning Big 12 player of the year J.T. Toppin had 35 points and 11 rebounds for Texas Tech (2-1). It was his 33rd career double-double. LeJuan Watts scored 21 for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech had an opportunity to tie the game after Watts sank two free throws with 12.5 seconds left to make it 80-77 following a flagrant foul on Boswell. But then Stojavokic blocked Christian Anderson’s 3-point try and Wagler hit a free throw to seal it.
The Red Raiders wiped out Illinois’ 45-32 halftime lead by making 12 straight shots to start the second half. Texas Tech moved in front 56-55 on a three-point play by Watts with 12:49 to go.
Illinois bounced back and took the lead for good 66-65 on a layup by Ivisic with 8:19 remaining.
Texas Tech jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Illini responded with an 11-point run — ignited by back-to-back 3s from Boswell — and took their biggest lead of the half when Stojakovic drove for a layup at the buzzer.
Illinois went 16 for 23 at the free-throw line, while Texas Tech was 3 of 4.
Illinois: Home vs. Colgate on Friday night, the finale of a four-game homestand to start the season.
This story was first published Nov. 11, 2025. It was updated Nov. 18, 2025, to correct the spelling of a player’s name. It is David Mirkovic, not David Mirkovich.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 77 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 77 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:03 | JT Toppin Defensive Rebound. | 77 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:06 | Keaton Wagler missed Free Throw. | 77 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:06 | Zvonimir Ivisic subbing in for Illinois | 77 - 81 |
Statistics
 TTU |
 ILL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 34-64 | FG | 29-59 |
| 53 | Field Goal % | 49 |
| 6-22 | 3PT | 7-22 |
| 27 | Three Point % | 32 |
| 3-4 | FT | 16-23 |
| 75 | Free Throw % | 70 |
| 30 | Rebounds | 34 |
| 7 | Offensive Rebounds | 11 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
| 20 | Assists | 5 |
| 7 | Steals | 6 |
| 3 | Blocks | 5 |
| 13 | Turnovers | 13 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 13 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 16 | Points Off Turnovers | 29 |
| 4 | Fast Break Points | 6 |
| 52 | Points in Paint | 42 |
| 18 | Fouls | 8 |
| 7 | Largest Lead | 13 |
Game Information
Location: Champaign, IL
Attendance: 15,544 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big 12 Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Houston | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Kansas State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Oklahoma State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Colorado | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Iowa State | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Baylor | 0-0 | - | 3-0 |
| UCF | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Utah | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| West Virginia | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Arizona State | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| BYU | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Cincinnati | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Texas Tech | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Kansas | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| TCU | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Iowa | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Michigan State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Nebraska | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Ohio State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Penn State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Purdue | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Michigan | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Oregon | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| USC | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Illinois | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Maryland | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Minnesota | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Northwestern | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Rutgers | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| UCLA | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Washington | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Wisconsin | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |