Illinois rallies but falls 95-91 to Baylor in men's basketball exhibition
CHAMPAIGN - Baylor beat No. 3 Illinois 95-91 in a men's basketball exhibition Friday night at State Farm Center, according to the official box score and the Illinois Athletics recap. Attendance was 15,544.
Baylor made 11 of 18 3-point tries in the first half and led 63-44 at halftime, and its lead reached 22, the recap says. Illinois held the Bears to 0-for-7 from 3-point range after the break, won the second half 47-32 and got within three points in the final three minutes. Baylor outrebounded Illinois 47-38.
Freshman guard Quentin Coleman led Illinois with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore guard Stefan Vaaks scored 18 off the bench, 16 of them after halftime, with five assists. Andrej Stojakovic scored 15 in 21 minutes before leaving with an injury, according to the recap, and Jake Davis added 10. Illinois played without preseason All-American David Mirkovic. Isaac Williams scored 28 and Kayden Mingo 24 for Baylor.
Illinois closes its exhibition schedule against UIC at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, on B1G+, and opens the regular season against FDU at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, on BTN.
Source: Illinois Athletics official box score, Baylor 95, Illinois 91 (exh.), https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2026-27/baylor-exh-/boxscore/29430; Illinois Athletics recap, Oct. 23, 2026, https://fightingillini.com/news/2026/10/23/mens-basketball-illini-comeback-falls-short-in-exhibition-loss-to-baylor (both read Oct. 24, 2026).