Keaton Wagler made a program-record nine 3s and erupted for 46 points, double his previous single-game high and the most ever by an Illinois freshman, while leading the No. 11 Fighting Illini to an 88-82 victory over No. 4 Purdue on Saturday.
Wagler was unfazed by the hostile environment, scoring the most points by a visiting player in Mackey Arena history. He thrived in the pandemonium, shooting 13 of 17 from the field, including 9 of 11 from long range, in a game where the lead changed 14 times.
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A quartet of 3s, bookended by big man Zvonimir Ivisic, helped the Fighting Illini tip the scale in the final minutes on the road.
Illinois (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten) made 18-of-38 attempts from deep, or 47.4%. The Fighting Illini were down by as many as 11 points in the first half and were without third-leading scorer Kylan Boswell — the senior is currently sidelined with a hand injury — but they’ve now won nine games in a row. Purdue (17-3, 7-2) had a streak of that kind before this week.
The Boilermakers have since dropped back-to-back games: first a nail-biter at UCLA on Tuesday and then a back-and-forth heavyweight match with Illinois on Saturday.
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Senior point guard Braden Smith stepped up with a team-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go along with 12 assists. After Illinois’ barrage of triples, Smith drilled a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to pull Purdue within two.
Wagler, though, answered by floating in a shot that restored the Illini’s two-possession lead. While Smith used a crossover to set up a 3 that drew an Andrej Stojakovic foul, he made only two of the three ensuing free throws.
That invited Illinois to ice the game at the line, starting with Wagler, who capped his prolific performance with a pair of makes at the charity stripe.
“We can win these types of games, in these types of environments if we just play tough and together,” Wagler told Fox Sports in his on-court postgame interview.
Just a three-star recruit and the No. 179 overall prospect in the 2025 class, according to Rivals, Wagler has already earned three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
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Another is likely on its way to Champaign, Illinois.
The Shawnee, Kansas, native wasn’t the only freshman to go off Saturday. In fact, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, for the first time since March 6, 1997, two freshmen scored 40-plus points on the same day.
In addition to Wagler, Kingston Flemings accomplished the feat for No. 6 Houston, piling up 42 points in a 90-86 loss at No. 12 Texas Tech.
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