Nebraska Downs Illinois in Big Ten Play

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Published on December 3 2018 6:26 am
Last Updated on December 3 2018 6:41 am

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Fighting Illini opened Big Ten play with a 75-60 loss at Nebraska Sunday in Lincoln. Nebraska opened up an early 11-point lead, then held off Illinois in the Big Ten conference opener for both teams.

Giorgi Bezhanishvili (14 pts), Kipper Nichols (12 pts) and Ayo Dosunmu (10 pts) all scored in double figures, but the Illini fell to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Nebraska (7-1) came out hot, hitting its first three field goals and all six of its free throws to go up 13-2 just 2½ minutes into the game.

Illinois (2-6) trimmed its deficit to four points midway through the first half but Nebraska closed on a 10-2 run to take a 39-23 halftime lead.

The Illini cut the Husker lead to 10 early in the second half and came within nine three times in the final 17 minutes, the last time at 60-51 on Da'monte Williams' jumper with 6:26 left. But a 7-0 Nebraska flurry capped by a breakaway Isaiah Roby dunk put Nebraska up 70-53 with 3:40 left.

The Huskers hit 25 of 30 from the free-throw line, including 12 of 14 by David Palmer, who finished with a game high 23 points. Illinois made 8 of its 13 free-throw attempts.

Isaac Copeland had 16 points and Glynn Watson, Jr. had 14 points for Nebraska.

The Fighting Illini entered the game ranked 18th in 3-pointers, making an average of 10.9 per game on 40 percent shooting. Illinois was 6 of 15 from 3-point range Sunday, shooting exactly 40 percent.

Up Next: Illinois hosts No. 16 Ohio State on Wednesday in Chicago at United Center (6 pm CT on BTN).

ILLINOIS POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• A charter member of the conference, Illinois opened its 114th season of Big Ten basketball.

• Illinois fell to 67-47 all-time in Big Ten openers.

• Illinois is 23-29 all-time when beginning conference play on the road.

• Illinois leads the all-time series against Nebraska 14-8.

• Illinois starts the 2018-19 season by playing six of its first nine games away from home, with seven of those nine contests against high-major opponents. Illinois faces Ohio State on Wednesday at the United Center.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Freshman forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili scored a team-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, his second straight game scoring in double figures (22 at Notre Dame) and his fourth 10+-point game this season. Bezhanishvili upped his scoring average to 10.0 points per game. He also added a team-high six rebounds.

• Redshirt junior forward Kipper Nichols scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, his fourth time scoring in double figures this season. Nichols is shooting 55.3-percent this season (26-47).

• Freshman guard Ayo Dosunmu scored 10 points, his fifth time scoring in double figures this season.


Chicago State 80, EIU 72

CHICAGO –  Chicago State shot 75 percent from the field in the second half as the Cougars rallied from a nine point half time deficit to beat Eastern Illinois, 80-72, on Saturday afternoon at the Jones Convocation Center.

EIU fell to 3-5 on the season.  Chicago State improved to 2-8.

The Cougars went on a 20-4 run to open the half behind the hot shooting of Travon Bell and driving play of guard Rob Shaw. Shaw’s three point play cut EIU’s lead to 46-44 with 17:01 to play.  Bell then hit three straight 3-pointers for the Cougars to give CSU a 52-46 lead.  Shaw finished with 14 points.  Bell had 16 points going 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

The Panthers would overcome that CSU run as they would regain the lead on a 3-pointer by Josiah Wallace with 8:31 to play.  Wallace had a team-high 18 points for the Panthers.

Christian Jacob tied the game with a lay-up and Delshon Strickland had a fast-break lay-up off a steal with 8:10 to play that gave Chicago State the lead for good.  Strickland had 12 points off the bench as CSU had five players finish in double figures.

Eastern Illinois had two runs in the first half as the Panthers led at the break 41-32.  The final run of the half came in the final 2:05 of play.  After hitting a cold streak of 1-of-9 from the field as a team, Ben Harvey snapped the Panthers out of the slump with a 3-pointer with 2:05 left and EIU leading 31-29.  Harvey would add another 3-pointer and mid-range jumper to finish the first half with 15 points.

EIU’s first run of the half came following the first media timeout as they went on a 10-2 run to lead 21-13 with 11:15 to play in the first half.  Aboubacar Diallo had a pair of baskets in the run as he and Harvey helped EIU’s bench score 19 first half points off the bench.

Harvey would finish the game with 17 points, one of four Panthers in double figures.  Mack Smith had 14 and Rade Kukobat 12.

Anthony Harris posted a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds as CSU won the battle on the glass 35-30.

 

SIUC 82, SIUE 61

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE senior David McFarland scored a career-best 24 points Saturday, but that wasn't enough to slow down the surging SIU Carbondale Salukis.

The Salukis shot nearly 60 percent from the field to defeat the Cougars, 82-61, in front of 3,360 fans at the Vadalabene Center. SIUC, winning its third consecutive contest in the rivalry game between the sister schools, improved to 5-3 and SIUE fell to 1-5. The Salukis lead the series 10-1 and are 5-0 at SIUE.

"That's a good team and a veteran team," SIUE Head Coach Jon Harris said of the Salukis, who have won five of their last six games. "I thought our kids responded, but we came up a little short against them."

MaFarland, a 6-foot, 4-inch senior guard from Edwards, Mississippi, made 9 of 19 shots, including 4 of 8 from 3-point land. He tallied 16 of his points in the second half, but the Cougars couldn't match the Salukis' overall shooting. SIUC connected on 31 of 52 shots, including 11 of 20 treys. They also converted 9 of 11 free throws.

"We shot the ball well. It was one of our better shooting days," SIUC coach Barry Hinson said.

Nobody shot it better for the Salukis than 6-5 senior guard Armon Fletcher, a graduate of nearby Edwardsville High. He amassed 24 points, thanks to 8-for-10 shooting and made all five of his 3-pointers. Fletcher also snared nine rebounds.

"It was fun and special for me," said Fletcher, who also surpassed the 1,000-career point mark and became the 46th SIUC player to do it. "I got some open shots and I hit them."

Harris noted, "He (Fletcher) is a worker and it's always good to see local kids having success."

Hinson pointed out, "Armon shot the ball extremely well and he can score. He's one of the best 3-pointers shooters I have coached."

McFarland tried to offset the Salukis' torrid shooting. He also made 2 of 3 free throws and collected six rebounds to go along with three assists and high scoring show. McFarland's previous top point output for SIUE was 22 against Southeast Missouri State last season.

"David is a very capable shooter and he can do a lot of things," Harris said. "He leads by example."

McFarland added, "It was one of my better games, but I can do better. I thought we did all we could, but we came out with a loss. Having all of those fans here today really gave us a boost."

Hinson was impressed with McFarland's performance. "He made a lot of contested 3-pointers. He played well and shot the ball well."

SIUE teammate Brandon Jackson pitched in 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He also contributed seven rebounds. Tyresse Williford had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Cougars made 23 of 61 shots, though they hit on only 5 of 20 threes. SIUE also converted 10 of 21 free throws and grabbed 32 rebounds, the same as the Salukis.

SIUE trailed 37-29 at half, then fell behind 57-37 with 12:55 remaining. However, the Cougars sliced the Salukis' lead to 68-58 with 3:03 to go. Yet they could get no closer.

"We cut into their lead, but when the game was in the balance, we weren't able to bump it down to where it needed to be," Harris said. "The game always comes down to a few possessions."

Harris went on, "I'm never happy with a loss because I think it was a game we could have won. The effort was there."

The Cougars play host to Harris-Stowe at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, then are idle until Monday, Dec. 17, when they face Drake of the Missouri Valley Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. SIUE is at Washington State on Dec. 19.

SIUC welcomes another rival, Saint Louis University, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

 

Valparaiso 62, EIU Women 60

VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Despite a 14-0 run closing the third quarter to regain the lead, Eastern Illinois women's basketball falls 62-60 at Valparaiso Sunday night. The Panthers fall 3-3 on the season, while the Crusaders improve to 3-5 overall.

The Panthers got off to a slow start in the first half shooting under 30 percent from the field, while the Crusaders shot 37 percent and 38.5 percent from the arc. Jennifer Nehls connected on four straight free throws for EIU near the end of the second quarter bringing the Panthers within four points, but Valpo would hold onto a 32-23 lead going into halftime.

The Crusaders led by as much as 13 in the third quarter, but a lay-up from Karle Pace ignited a 14-0 run in the final five minutes of the quarter. Taylor Steele followed up Pace's lay-up with back-to-back three pointers, and Abby Wahl would join the run with a jumper at 1:11 minute mark. Carmen Tellez closed the quarter with a buzzer beating three-pointer to give EIU a 42-41 lead into the fourth.

Valpo led by as much as five points in the final 10 minutes with EIU narrowing the lead to one point four different times. The Panthers trailed by two points with three seconds left on the clock and would inbound the under the basket to Steele. Steele's lay-up was contested and bounced out of the rim to secure the 62-60 win for Valpo.

Three players scored double-figures for EIU. Pace led the team with 18 points and tallied five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Steele added 11 points and was 3-of-7 from the arc. Grace McRae fell short of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Grace Lennox tied her season-highs with six rebounds and six assists.

Grace Hales scored a game-leading 21 points for the Crusaders and grabbed seven boards. Addison Stoller added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Bryce Blood finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Panthers will be back in action this weekend in Carbondale, Ill. for the first annual Compass Tournament. EIU will play on Friday Dec. 7 vs. Western Illinois at 4:30 pm and Saturday Dec. 8 vs. Southern Illinois at 4:30 pm.