Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Match Player Stats On Dec 15, 2020

Kofi Cockburn poured in a career-high 33 points and added 13 rebounds as No. 13 Illinois erased an early deficit to earn a 92-65 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night in a Big Ten opener at Champaign, Ill.

Ayo Dosunmu complemented Cockburn with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Andre Curbelo provided nine points and nine assists for Illinois (5-2, 1-0), which limited the Golden Gophers to 27.5 percent shooting and owned a 53-35 advantage on the boards.

Marcus Carr paced Minnesota (6-1, 0-1) with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, but Dosunmu, Trent Frazier and other Fighting Illini guards took turns holding the nation's No. 6 scorer to 3-of-13 shooting from the field.

Liam Robbins contributed 10 points in 16 minutes before fouling out, while Both Gach went 0-for-9 from the field and finished with one point despite entering the night averaging 15.3 points.

Minnesota dominated during the opening five minutes as Cockburn allowed Robbins to swish a pair of unguarded 3-pointers from the top of the key to help stake the Golden Gophers to a 15-8 lead. But at the other end, Cockburn drew Robbins' second foul at the 16:28 mark and sent him to the bench for the rest of the half save for 56 seconds.

Shortly after Robbins' departure, Minnesota's ball movement creaked to a halt. The Golden Gophers missed 18 out of 19 shots while Cockburn seized control at the other end. He scored 10 points -- all within 5 feet of the hoop -- as Illinois reeled off 14 straight points over a four-minute span to take a 24-18 lead with 9:17 left in the half.

The Fighting Illini extended their lead to 40-29 by the break.

Any time Minnesota cut into the lead early in the second half, Illinois made sure Cockburn got the ball in position to score. When he laid in a Dosunmu lob with 12:06 to go, he eclipsed his previous career high of 26 and gave Illinois a 58-38 lead.

--Field Level Media