CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kylan Boswell scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 17 Illinois dominated Florida Gulf Coast 113-70 on Friday night, marking the team’s second blowout win to start the season.
Zvonomir Ivisic contributed 16 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocked shots for the Illini (2-0), who opened the season with a 63-point victory over Jackson State, also scoring 113 points. Keaton Wagler added 22 points and seven rebounds, while David Mirkovic chipped in with 17 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois.
J.R. Konieczny led Florida Gulf Coast with 26 points. The Eagles (1-1) struggled offensively, shooting just 33% from the floor, missing their first 12 shots, and being outrebounded 51-30.
Illinois converted 20 of 21 free throws in the first half to build a commanding 59-27 lead at halftime and finished the game making 30 of 34 from the line.
The Illini faced some adversity as big man Tomislav Ivisic, who averaged 13 points and nearly eight rebounds per game last season, was added to the team’s lengthy injury list. Brandon Lee, Ty Rodgers, and Mihailo Petrovic remain out as well.
This was the first meeting between Illinois and Florida Gulf Coast. However, the Illini were familiar with the Eagles’ coach, Pat Chambers, who is in his fourth year leading Florida Gulf Coast. Chambers went 7-5 against Illinois during his nine seasons (2011-2020) coaching Big Ten rival Penn State.
Notably, Florida Gulf Coast social media star Brandon Dwyer did not enter the game despite calls from Illinois students. Dwyer, a graduate student known for his “Road to One Point” journey documented on TikTok and Instagram—where he has nearly two million followers—scored his first collegiate points in five years during the Eagles’ opening game win over New College of Florida.
Looking ahead:
Florida Gulf Coast will host Georgia Southern on Tuesday.
Illinois will host No. 10 Texas Tech on Tuesday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/kylan-boswell-scores-31-no-041125108.html
