Andrej Stojaković, Kylan Boswell lead No. 14 Illinois over No. 11 Texas Tech

CHAMPAIGN — As Andrej Stojaković stood courtside at the State Farm Center Tuesday night for a postgame interview, his Illinois teammates couldn’t help but interject.

First, Kylan Boswell grabbed him and shouted into the helmet Stojaković was wearing, then Zvonimir Ivišić interrupted him with a shout of celebration.

In his second game with the Illini, Stojaković, a transfer from Cal, made a strong impression. The junior guard scored a team-high 23 points and made three steals and two blocks — including a crucial late play — to help lead No. 14 Illinois to an 81-77 victory over No. 11 Texas Tech.

“I pestered this guy over the summer to come play with me,” Boswell said. “I’m so excited he’s here. It’s nice to see him continue to have confidence, continue to be himself. All the work he’s put in showed today.”

After scoring 13 points in the second half, Stojaković’s late block helped Illinois seal the victory as he played in front of his father, former NBA star Peja Stojaković.

The Illini led by five points after Boswell made two free throws with 16 seconds left. But Boswell was called for a flagrant foul on the next possession after a review, a call he said he was “pissed” about.

LeJuan Watts made both free throws, making it a three-point game with 12 seconds left and Texas Tech with the ball.

But Stojaković knocked away Christian Anderson’s 3-point attempt and the Illini took possession. Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler made 1 of 2 free throws with 6 seconds left for the final score.

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“All last year, the coaches emphasized tracking the guards and being able to get a contest on the weak side,” Stojaković said. “Bringing that length by guarding smaller, quicker guards. I’m not the fastest, but using that length to get through screens and rear-view mirror contests, that’s something I can bring to this team, and this is one of those plays where I showed I can do it.”

Illinois’ victory was its first against a Top 25 non-conference team at home in the era of coach Brad Underwood, and it came in front of a packed house celebrating the promise of a new Illini team.

If the Illini’s back-to-back 113-point outings against inferior opponents in their first two games didn’t already signal that, Tuesday night’s game did. From Stojaković’s smooth scoring to Boswell’s steady presence to the versatility and energy of Zvonimir Ivišić, a transfer from Arkansas, this looks like an Illinois team to pay attention to.

Stojaković, who suffered a knee injury that limited him during the preseason, previously played at Stanford and Cal, and the atmosphere in his new home impressed him.

“My first match was the first time so many people supported me,” Stojaković said. “Every match in my career has been against me, so it was really nice. The atmosphere today was amazing. It’s a really good feeling when you have guys who believe in each other so much that you know you can compete with anyone in the country, and it was really nice to come out with this one.”

Ivišić had 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Boswell scored 22 points and had three assists, but it was his defense that was the center of attention after the game.

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In the second half, with 6-foot-9 forward JT Toppin scoring 24 of his 35 points, Underwood turned to the defense of the 6-foot-2 Boswell.

“I don’t know if you’ve been around Boswell, but he’s a stump, physical and low to the ground, and he’s a very good basketball player,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “He’s tough. He’s competitive. He can foul and he knows how to draw fouls. … It blocked us. We had a harder time getting into action. We got better over time to come up with something different. But it ruined the flow for a few periods.”

Illinois entered halftime with a 45-32 lead after an 11-2 run to end the half. This included 3-pointers from Ivišić and Boswell and a layup from Stojaković as time expired.

But Texas Tech made its first 11 shots of the second half to erase the lead. Toppin made seven of those baskets for 14 points. The Red Raiders’ first miss of the half came with 11 minutes, 58 seconds remaining.

But the play of Boswell and Stojaković fueled the Illini until the end.

“(Boswell) is a very good two-way player,” Underwood said. “He’s elite defensively, extremely strong. He’s our leader. We follow him. He had a bad turnover late and I have to see the glaring foul, but he’s our guy. Downhill, in the open court, with the shooting we have with our five men, he can be very effective and put himself in position to be one of the best guards in America.”

Illinois’ victory was even more impressive because the Illini were playing without 7-foot center Tomislav Ivišić, who was out with a knee injury. Point guard Mihailo Petrović was in uniform for the match but did not play as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Texas Tech 6-foot-11 forward Luke Bamgboye and 6-9 forward Josiah Moseley also did not play.