Basketball
Illinois Basketball “Getting More Comfortable” With Dainja
Dain Dainja was the secret sauce from the bench for Illinois Basketball on Wednesday

Illinois Basketball “Getting More Comfortable” With Dainja
Dain Dainja was the secret sauce from the bench for Illinois Basketball on Wednesday. He assisted the Fighting Illini to a 105 – 97 win vs the Big Ten’s most-improved team. That team of course is Ben Johnson’s Minnesota Golden Gophers. With 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists of his own, Dain was able to create some loud excitement from fans in Champaign. Of course, not that any more excitement was needed in this game. Especially after assisting in raising all of our blood pressures, in this NBA-like performance.
From booming dunks on one end, to virtually Illinois-only defense played on the other, it was a performance unseen from Dain Dainja in months. The Gophers were a defensive nightmare for The Illini. Cam Christie, Mike Mitchell, and Dawson Garcia went berserk on Illinois defense from behind the arc. Minnesota shot 14-20 from three-point range. That’s a remarkable 70% from deep. Not to mention the fact that Minny shot 36-60 (60%) from the field as well. The Illinois frontcourt had a great offensive performance, but the defense… not hardly. With the help of Illinois single best offensive performance in 30 years, Dainja was able to provide a sliver of defensive spark in closing time. Dainja and Hawkins were able to put the clamps down for a short period. Furthermore, assisting the Illini lock down a late, stressful win.
Underwood on Dainja
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