As the ball hit the bottom of the net for his first made basket in weeks, Dylan Harper turned to the Illinois corner of Jersey Mike’s Arena and gestured for them to simmer down. A few minutes later, when he hit his first three-pointer of the night,

Dylan Harper returned to score 28 points, fellow freshman Ace Bailey added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Rutgers beat No. 23 Illinois 82-73 on Wednesday night. Harper made 11 of 12 frees throws and had six rebounds and five assists after missing a 66-63 home loss to Michigan on Saturday because of a sprained ankle.

With the win, Rutgers is now 12-11 overall on the season and 5-7 in Big Ten play. They will look to start a winning streak on Sunday as they hit the road to take on Maryland, who is playing well right now. That one won't be easy, and they will once again need big games from Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.