WEST LAFAYETTE — Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler could not remember having scored more than 35 points in his high school career.
He obliterated that personal best Saturday at Mackey Arena. His 46 points set a record for a visiting player and for an Illinois freshman, and it carried the No. 11 Illini to an 88-82 victory over the No. 4 Boilermakers.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood called it “like nothing I’ve seen in my 39 years.” Wagler, who doubled his previous best scoring performance this season, made only 1 of 9 3s in his previous game Wednesday vs. Maryland.
“It’s a crazy thing that I never really thought I would do,” Wagler said. “But I just let the game come to me. It was my night and I think my teammates knew that too.”
The record for most points by a visiting player was previously shared by two individuals.
Idaho State’s Willie Humes scored 39 on Dec. 11, 1969. Humes was a Madison native who was later inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Michigan State’s Sam Vincent tied the record with 39 on Jan. 10, 1985.
Wagler scored his 40th point on a 3-pointer with 9:18 remaining in the game. He made 9 of 11 behind the arc for the game — with those makes also setting an Illinois record.
Wagler’s 35-point high school game came in the Quincy (Illinois) Shootout. That tournament brought in the Shawnee (Kansas) Mission Northwest prospect to showcase an Illinois recruit.
The showcase Wagler put on Saturday might be his only appearance at Mackey Arena, and that record might last for years.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Keaton Wagler Illinois Purdue stats, scoring record at Mackey Arena, freshman
