Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers lose heartbreaker to Illinois

The Indiana basketball program loses a heartbreaker to Illinois on Sunday and head back home to end the regular season.

It was probably Indiana basketball’s best effort on the road this season but it was the same outcome for the Hoosiers as they lost a heartbreaker to Illinois, 67-66.

Tied at halftime, the game went all the way down to the buzzer but ultimately it was one or two more plays that the Illini made to put them over the top.

Coming into the game, it was headlined by the matchup of the star freshmen in the Big Ten, Kofi Cockburn, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, and it did not disappoint.

Jackson-Davis got off to a hot start as he had 10 points in the first half, but once again it was the offense that went away from the big man in the second half as he finished with just 12 in the game.

In one of the biggest moments of his young career, Jackson-Davis missed two potential game-tying free-throws, Indiana’s only two misses on the afternoon, with 13 seconds left, which ultimately gave Illinois the win. Jackson-Davis added 12 rebounds as well.

Cockburn, on the other hand, was dominant all game and was the game-changer. Dominating the paint on both ends, he had 15 points, five rebounds and six blocks, including going 7-of-10 from the foul line.

The Hoosiers outrebounded Illinois 39-31 but it was the Illini that came up with rebounds at the right moments and capitalized.

Ayo Dosunmu struggled shooting the ball, going just 6-of-15 but hit one of the biggest shots of the game with 1:26 left to extend the Illini lead to five. He finished with a game-high 17 points.

Al Durham led the Hoosiers with 13 points and was one of four in double-digits. Devonte Green added 11, albeit on 3-of-11 from the field, and Rob Phinisee chipped in 10, including a three at the buzzer to make it a one-point loss.

Indiana returns home for its final two games of the regular season, where its record is 14-3 on the season.