Illinois Beats UNLV, College Roundup

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Published on December 10 2018 2:49 pm
Last Updated on December 10 2018 2:49 pm

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois men's basketball team returned home for the first time since Nov. 25 to beat UNLV, 77-74, Saturday at State Farm Center. The Illini led by as many as 14 with 8:23 remaining in the second half but UNLV cut it to 74-72 with 29 seconds left before Illinois held on for the win.

Illinois big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili hit two free throws with 27 seconds left go give the Illini a four-point cusion. The 6-foot-9 Bezhanishvili, who finished with nine points, also hit a 3-pointer in the first half.

UNLV had the ball down three points with 13 seconds left and a chance to tie the game on the final possession. Junior Andres Feliz then picked off an errant UNLV pass and dribbled out the clock to seal the win. Feliz led the Illini with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

UNLV (4-4) was led by Joel Ntambwe's 18 points. Cheikh Mbacke Diong scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Rebels.

Illinois held UNLV to 34 percent shooting from the field (23 of 68), while shooting 47 percent (28 of 59). The Illini led 40-34 at the half.

Samba Kane, a 7-foot center from Senegal, got 16 minutes of playing time for Illinois, scoring eight points. Kane, a true freshman, showed some offensive promise and was a force around the rim during his court time.

The Illini were back in Champaign for the first time in nearly two weeks, playing its third game in seven days.

UP NEXT: The Illini (3-7) are off until next Saturday when they host East Tennessee State at State Farm Center (1 pm CT).

ILLINOIS POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• Illinois leads the all-time series against UNLV, 5-2.

• This was UNLV's first ever trip to Champaign.

• Illinois had a season-high six blocks.

• Illinois had 16 fastbreak points, the Illini's second-most this season (19 vs. Georgetown).

• Illinois outscored UNLV 40-30 in the paint, including a 24-14 advantage in the second half.

• Illinois outrebounded UNLV 18-14 in the second half after getting beat on the boards 28-18 in the first half.

• Illinois held UNLV without a field goal for a 8:01 stretch in the second half (18:19-10:18).

• Illinois returned home for the first time since Nov. 25 after playing three straight games away from State Farm Center.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Junior guard Andres Feliz scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. His previous career high was 16 points in the season opener against Evansville.

• Freshman center Samba Kane scored a career-high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in a career-high 16 minutes. Kane had scored six points in 15 minutes in the first nine games of the season (4 played games).

• Senior guard Aaron Jordan led Illinois with seven rebounds, tied for his second-best rebounding effort of the season (10 vs. Gonzaga).

 

EIU 74, WIU 67

MACOMB, Ill. --   Eastern Illinois held Western Illinois scoreless for just over a 10-minute span in the second half as the Panthers used a 19-0 run to rally for a 76-65 win over Western Illinois on Saturday night.

EIU improved to 5-5 on the season winning their second straight and sweeping the season series over WIU.  Western Illinois fell to 4-6.

At the 16-minute media timeout, Eastern Illinois trailed 49-33 after Western Illinois extended a nine point halftime lead as they knocked down 3-of-4 3-pointers to open the half.

EIU would then clamp down on defense as they began with a 9-0 run with Ben Harvey scoring five points in the first part of the run.  EIU would finish with a 19-0 run with Harvey scoring eight of his 12 points during the run.  Harvey’s basket with 7:40 to play tied the game at 49-49.

Shareef Smith drained a 3-pointer with 6:56 remaining to give EIU a 52-49 lead as EIU was 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the second half.  Smith has nine points, five rebounds and five assists.

On the defensive end of the floor EIU held WIU scoreless for 10:01 during the 19-0 run.  After a basket WIU tied the game at 52-52, EIU would again hold WIU scoreless for a four-minute stretch as they built a late double figure lead.

Josiah Wallace had a team-high 18 points hitting six-of-six from the free throw line in the final 20 seconds.  Mack Smith finished with 14 points.

Western Illinois hit five of its final six shots of the first half from 3-point range with Kobe Webster dropping in three of those as WIU led 38-29 at the half.  WIU was 9-fo-14 from 3-point range in the first half and 13-of-27 from behind the arc for the game.

EIU opened the game hot as Mack Smith scored the Panthers first eight points.  EIU would hold the lead for most of the first half with Kashawn Charles scoring seven points off the bench giving EIU a spurt that resulted in a 17-10 lead following Charles lay-up at 11:59.

The Panthers would cool off going 3-of-14 from 3-point range including one of their final ten 3-pointers in the opening half. EIU would have a 2:30 scoring slump late in the half as WIU took the lead with an 11-2 run.  Webster’s first 3-pointer put WIU up 28-25 with 3:32 to play in the first.


SIUE 92, Harris-Stowe 87

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Brandon Jackson and Tyrese Williford led the way with career-scoring efforts as the SIUE Cougars outlasted Harris-Stowe of St. Louis, 92-87, Saturday afternoon at the Vadalabene Center.

Jackson, a junior from East St. Louis, Ill., poured in 28 points and snared 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Williford, a junior guard from Chicago, contributed 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The Cougars improved to 2-5, in winning at home for the second time this season. Harris-Stowe, a NAIA school and member of the American Midwest Conference, dropped to 6-3.

"We did see some good things out there today for our team and at the same time, give Harris-Stowe some credit," SIUE head coach Jon Harris said. "They are a scrappy team."

SIUE used a 24-7 burst the final 7.5 minutes of the first half to overcome a nine-point deficit and build a 41-33 lead by the break. Jackson tallied eight of his 13 first-half points in closing out the half.

"I thought that was the difference in the game – the way our guys responded during that stretch," Harris said. "Brandon has been doing a great job for us and he was a big part of that run close to end of the first half. He has stepped up and produced for us and did some great things the entire game."

Jackson said, "Give credit to my teammates. They were trusting me to give me the ball. I'm getting more confidence and it all starts in practice."

He made 10 of 18 shots and 8 of 9 free throws to key the Cougars' strong foul shooting. They made 36 of 42 free throws to go along with 26 of 61 shooting from the floor. All figured, the two teams attempted 125 field goals and also took 59 foul shots. Harris-Stowe made 33 of 64 shots and converted 13 of 17 free throws.

"Free throws are all mental," Harris said. "When you start making them, it becomes contagious."

Williford sank four free throws in the final 19 seconds to ensure the victory, the Cougars' 15th consecutive win over the Hornets. SIUE leads the series 15-2.

SIUE's David Kinchen collected 12 points and teammate D.J. Jackson pitched in seven points and eight rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded the Hornets 41-33.

"D.J. really stepped up big for us, especially for a guy who hasn't played much for us this season," Harris said.

Nate Rigmaiden's 28 points powered Harris-Stowe, which used a 25-10 binge early in the second half to forge ahead 61-56. The Cougars countered with a 14-5 spree to grab a 70-66 advantage. Harris-Stowe closed to within 82-80 with 3:12 remaining, but Jackson punched in two baskets, the second with 1:02 to go, to give SIUE a six-point lead. The Cougars' final six points came on free throws.

"We found a way to get a win and at the end of the day, that's the most important thing," Harris said. "It's huge for us."

Next up for the Cougars is some road work. SIUE has four successive games away from home, starting with Drake University in Des Moines Iowa on Monday, Dec. 17.

SIUE then plays at Washington State on Dec. 19 before traveling to the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic for a pair of games Dec. 22-23. The Cougars don't return home until Sunday, Dec. 30, when Missouri S&T of Rolla comes calling at 5 p.m.


Women

EIU 64, Western Illinois 62

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball team won their first game on the road since the 2016-17 season Friday afternoon. The Panthers beat cross-state rival Western Illinois 64-62 in the first annual Compass Challenge hosted by Southern Illinois. This win also marks head coach Matt Bollant's 350th career win.

EIU improves to 4-3 on the year and will play Southern Illinois tomorrow at 3:30 pm for their final game of the tournament. WIU falls to 3-7 overall.

The Panthers led from the start of the game as they jumped out to a 14-8 lead into the second quarter. Both teams struggled to take care of the ball in the first ten minutes combining for 19 first quarter turnovers. EIU finished with a season-high 32 turnovers allowing 21 points off turnovers for WIU. The Leathernecks tallied 22 turnovers leading to 18 points for the Panthers.

WIU struggled from the field in the first half only shooting 25 percent to EIU's 45.5 percent. The Leathernecks offense came alive in the fourth quarter as they fought their way back into the game tying it with thirty seconds left to play. WIU outscored EIU 22-13 in the final 10 minutes. With both teams in the bonus in the fourth quarter, Karle Pace, Taylor Steele, and Grace Lennox were able to hit clutch free throws securing an EIU win.

EIU dominated the boards 45-26 over WIU. Grace McRae grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds while Jennifer Nehls finished with seven. McRae also tallied a career-high five assists.

Pace finished with a team-high 17 points. She also tallied two rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Steele was 4-for-4 from the free throw line and finished with 11 points and four boards. Grace Lennox filled the stat sheet for EIU finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

WIU had two players finish in double-figures. Danni Nichols scored a game-high 20 points off the bench for the Leathernecks, while Taylor Higginbotham added 11 points and eight boards.


SIU 73, EIU 59

CARBONDALE, Ill. --  Karle Pace is named to the Compass Challenge All-Tournament Team as Eastern Illinois women's basketball fell in the championship game Saturday afternoon. Southern Illinois led by as much as 22 points in the third quarter and took a 73-59 win over the Panthers.

EIU falls to 4-4 overall while SIU improves to 5-4 overall. The Panthers will be back in action next Monday Dec. 17 at Northern Illinois for a 5:30 pm tip-off.

Despite the Panthers shooting over 40 percent from the field in the first quarter, SIU took a 21-10 lead over EIU in the first 10 minutes of play. Nicole Martin was 3-for-4 from the field and scored eight points for the Salukis in the opening quarter. Karle Pace scored eight of EIU's 10 first quarter points.

The Panthers narrowed the Saluki's lead to four in the first few minutes of the second quarter going on an 8-0 run. Taylor Steele and Kira Arthofer hit back-to-back threes forcing a SIU time out at the 7:46 minute mark. Jennifer Nehls connected from the paint on the first possession out of the time out bringing the score to 24-20 in SIU's favor.

SIU extended their lead to 22 points in the third quarter. The Panthers committed three consecutive turnovers contributing to a 13-0 run for the Salukis. Jalisha Smith came off the bench for EIU scoring four quick points helping break SIU's run and narrowing their lead 56-36 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Panthers had some bench production and outscored the Saluki's bench 31-16. Carmen Tellez finished with eight points in the fourth quarter, but SIU held on clinching the Compass Challenge championship. Abby Wahl also added eight points off the bench for EIU.

Pace was the only Panther to finish in double-figures with 13 points, while Martin (16), Makenzie Silvey (15), and Kristen Nelson (13) scored in double figures for SIU.