CHICAGO, lll. (Chambana Today) — In front of one of the largest Illinois crowds at the United Center in more than a decade, the No. 8 Fighting Illini battled to the final minute but came up short Tuesday night, falling 90–86 to No. 11 Alabama.
Freshman Andrej Stojakovic delivered his strongest performance yet, pouring in a season-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including a pair of threes. Kylan Boswell continued his consistent scoring stretch with 22 points and seven assists, marking his 13th straight game in double figures.
Forward David Mirkovic recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-best 10 rebounds, while Ben Humrichous added 11 points and pulled down six boards.
Illinois controlled the glass early, outrebounding the Crimson Tide 21–16 in the first half and 40–38 overall. The Illini also outscored Alabama 40–30 in the paint, but key late baskets by the Tide proved to be the difference.
The crowd of 17,775 marked the largest Illini-scheduled game at the United Center since 2012, as Illinois fell to 4–1 on the season. The Illini return to action later this week looking to rebound from their first loss.
