11/25/25 08:25:00
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11/25 08:22 CST Stojakovic scores 24 points, No. 13 Illinois beats Texas Rio
Grande Valley 87-73
Stojakovic scores 24 points, No. 13 Illinois beats Texas Rio Grande Valley 87-73
By STEVE STEIN
Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) --- Andrej Stojakovic scored 24 points for his fourth
20-point performance in five games, leading No. 13 Illinois to an 87-73 victory
over Texas Rio Grande Valley on Monday night.
Mihailo Petrovic had 12 points, and David Mirkovic and twins Zvonimir and
Tomislav Ivisic each added 10 for the Illini (6-1). They are 6-0 at home.
Illinois has started the season scoring 80 or more points in all seven games.
The Illini haven't done that since the 1988-89 season, when the Fighting
Illini, who lost in the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, opened with
12 consecutive games of 80 or more points.
Kye Dickson scored 21 points and Filip Brankovic had 15 for the Rio Grande
Valley (2-4), which trailed 42-31 at halftime and cut the Illinois lead to six
points twice early in the second half but didn't get any closer.
Stojakovic scored 14 points in the first half.
Illinois, the top rebounding team in the Big Ten, outrebounded the Vaqueros,
44-32. Keaton Wagler and Ben Humrichous each had eight rebounds, Zvonimir
Ivisic had seven and Stojakovic had six.
The Vaqueros went 16-15 last season. It was their first winning season since
2018-19.
Rio Grande Valley is a second-year member of the Southland Conference after
spending 11 years in the Western Athletic Conference.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood went 53-1 against Southland Conference teams
while winning three regular-season and three conference tournament
championships from 2013-2016, when he at Stephen F. Austin.
Up next
Texas Rio Grande Valley: At Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 3.
Illinois: Vs. No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday.
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This story has been corrected to show that Illinois' nickname is the Fighting
Illini, not Flyin' Illini.
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