Well, it happened again.

Illinois fell down big early in a game — the Gophers led 17-2 at the 12:07 mark of the first half — and had to claw their way back in it, only to run out of momentum late and lose.

Illinois’ trend of awful starts is dumbfounding, and it’s been the story of far too many games for the 2017-18 Fighting Illini.

Here are some key takeaways from Illinois’ third Big Ten loss.

1. Minnesota’s frontline domination

Both Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy had double-doubles to help guide Minnesota to victory.