CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Illinois Fighting Illini secured a 105-96 exhibition win against Cincinnati on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena, with Andrej Stojakovic leading the effort with 24 points. This game marked the first of three exhibitions ahead of the Illini's 2026-27 regular season opener.
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Despite being without preseason All-American David Mirkovic, the Illini showcased strong offensive performance, averaging 1.313 points per possession. All five of the team's starters scored in double figures, and sophomore transfer Stefan Vaaks contributed 19 points in just 19 minutes off the bench.
Freshmen Ethan Brown and Quentin Coleman, making their unofficial collegiate debuts, added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Veteran players Tomislav Ivisic and Jake Davis chipped in with 13 and 10 points.
Illinois held a narrow lead for most of the game, trailing for only 1 minute and 42 seconds. The Bearcats remained within two possessions until Coleman initiated a personal 10-0 run, extending the Illini's lead to 93-79 with just over four minutes left. Cincinnati was unable to close the gap to fewer than seven points after that.
Coleman also led the team with eight assists and recorded a game-high seven rebounds, coming close to a triple-double.
The Illini shot 53% from the field and made 42% of their three-point attempts (14-33). From the free-throw line, they were 79% successful, hitting 19 of 24 shots.
Illinois will continue their exhibition schedule at State Farm Center, facing Baylor on October 23 and UIC on October 28, both slated for 7 p.m. CT tip-offs and streamed live via B1G+.
The regular season for Illinois will begin on November 2 at 7 p.m. CT against Fairleigh Dickinson, broadcast on Big Ten Network.