Rutgers Downs Illini, SE Missouri Beats SIUE

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) – Alan Griffin scored 14 points and Kofi Cockburn had his 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but Rutgers pulled away for a 72-57 home win over Illinois Saturday at The RAC.

Gio Baker and Akwasi Yeboah added 12 points apiece and Myles Johnson had 11 rebounds for Rutgers (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten), who is a nation's best 17-0 at home.

Illinois (16-9, 8-6) played without leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu (15.8 points). The sophomore guard hurt his left knee at the final buzzer in a loss against Michigan State on Tuesday night. There was no structural damage, and he made the road trip, watching the game in sweats.

Andres Feliz had 10 points to join Griffin and Cockburn in double-figures for Illinois. Trent Frazier added 9 points, but was just 2-13 from the field. 
Feliz hit a 3-pointer to get Illinois within 43-42 early in the second half, but Johnson scored underneath and Harper nailed a 3-pointer to ignite an 11-point run that gave the Scarlet Knights at 54-42 lead.

Illinois, which shot 31% from the field, never got closer than seven points again. It trailed by 20 late.

Harper was the story for Rutgers in the opening 20 minutes. He scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting in helping the Scarlet Knights take a 34-32 lead at halftime.

UP NEXT: Illinois looks to snap a 4-game losing streak when they had to No. 13 Penn State on Tuesday (5:30 pm CT on FS1). 

ILLINOIS POSTGAME NOTES

• It was just the second-ever win for Rutgers over Illinois, snapping a four-game series winning streak for the Illini. Illinois leads the all time series 7-2. 

• Freshman Kofi Cockburn extended his own school record for double-doubles by a freshman with 10. He finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

• Sophomore Alan Griffin (14 points) led the team in scoring for the third time this season. 

• Illinois was without leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu (15.8 ppg), who was injured on the final play of Tuesday's loss to Michigan State. He is day-to-day. 

Southeast Missouri 75, SIUE 71

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – SIUE men's basketball fell short Saturday, dropping a 75-71 decision to Southeast Missouri at the Show Me Center.
The Cougars, who had won two straight, fell to 4-10 in OVC play and 7-20 overall. SEMO also is 7-20 overall. The Redhawks are 3-11 in the OVC.

"We didn't overcome enough adversity today," Whether it was some poor passes early or some other frustrating situations throughout the game."

Both teams came out shooting and specifically from long-range. The teams combined to shoot 13-27 from three-point range in the game's first 20 minutes. SEMO built as much as an eight-point lead in the half, while the Cougars got up as many as five. The Redhawks led 40-36 at the break.

"They set the tone early in transition and our communication wasn't great defensively," Barone said. "And then we still came back. It's a testament to what we're building here. The fact that we kept overcoming and overcoming."

Southeast Missouri had pushed its lead to 10 at 54-44 at the media timeout with 11:54 to play. The Cougars then scored 13 of the next 15 points to lead 58-56 with 7:40 left.

Zeke Moore tied the game, for the 11th time, with a 3-pointer to make it 69-69 with 1:17 to play. A layup by Quatarrius Wilson with 48 seconds left put SEMO up for good. The Redhawks' Alex Caldwell knocked down for free throws over the final 30 seconds to seal the win. Mike Adewunmi did pull the Cougars back within two at 73-71 with 11 seconds left before Caldwell's final two free throws.  

"We took the lead and we tied the game late and then we didn't get the big stop down the stretch and that's what it comes down to this time of year in conference play," Barone said.

Moore led three SIUE players in double figures with 16 points. Shamar Wright scored 12 points and Adewunmi scored 10.

Skyler Hogan paced SEMO with 17 points. Caldwell scored 15 and was 9-10 at the free throw line. Wilson scored 13 points and also was 9-10 at the stripe.

For the game Southeast Missouri was 29-36 from the free throw line. SIUE was 15-22. SIUE outrebounds Southeast Missouri 41-37.

"We're trying to get better and you have some tough losses, and (the players) still come back and get better at what we're demanding. That's something to be proud of," Barone said. "At the end of the day we still want to win the game. This was an opportunity for us to win a game a game against a SEMO team which is a good team. They play hard. They have been much better of late and they're believing right now."

SIUE returns home to face OVC co-leader Austin Peay Thursday at First Community Arena. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m.