Wagler scores 46 points to lead No. 11 Illinois to an 88-82 victory over No. 4 Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Keaton Wagler scored a career-high 46 points, making nine 3-pointers, as No. 11 Illinois beat No. 4 Purdue 88-82 on Saturday.

Wagler, a freshman guard, shot 13 of 17 overall, 9 of 11 from 3-point range and 11 of 13 on free throws. David Mirkovic added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Illini (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten).

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Braden Smith led the Boilermakers (17-3, 7-2) with 27 points and 12 assists. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points for Purdue, which lost its second straight game.

The Illini made 18 of 38 3-pointers while Purdue was 7 of 19.

Wagler had 24 of the Illini’s 39 points in the first half, including the first 14.

Smith’s 3-pointer cut Illinois’ lead to 82-80 with 45 seconds left. Wagler responded with a jumper with 18 seconds left, and after Smith made two from the line to make it a two-point game again, Wagler hit two to make it 86-82 with 9.3 seconds left. Purdue then turned the ball over.

Purdue shot 63% percent in the first half, compared to 43% for Illinois. However, the Illini countered that by hitting 9 of 21 3-pointers while the Boilermakers were 3 of 8 on 3-pointers.

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Illinois played without injured reserve center Jason Jakstys. Illini coach Brad Underwood previously announced that guard Kyle Boswell, who is averaging 14.3 points, would be out at least a month with a broken right hand.

To be continued

Illinois: Hosts Washington on Thursday.

Purdue: At Indiana on Tuesday.