Illini Use 11 Big Final 11 Minutes To Beat Nebraska

A strong Illinois defensive stand in the final minutes of the game kept Nebraska without a field goal for the last six minutes of action, and four Illini finished in double figures in the 16-point victory.

Jayden Epps recorded 12 points, including a team-high eight second-half points. Epps also registered three rebounds and three assists.

Matthew Mayer scored a team-high 16 points, including three 3-pointers, while he tallied six rebounds and two blocks.

Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 12 points and made a team-high five assists, the fifth time this season he has notched at least five. Shannon also grabbed two rebounds and a team-high three steals.

Coleman Hawkins totalled a team-high 35 minutes and recorded 10 points, three assists, two steals, one block, and a team-high eight rebounds.

Ty Rodgers put together another strong performance with seven points and seven rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Rodgers also made two steals.

Sencire Harris was efficient in his 13 minutes of action, scoring eight points, which helped spark the Illini's second-half comeback.

After the Illini trailed by seven early, Illinois turned its deficit around in the span of three minutes via a 9-0 run. Four different players scored during that stretch as the Illini took a narrow 14-12 lead midway through the frame.

A 14-5 Illini run over a four-minute period soon after helped the hosts take an eight-point advantage, their largest lead of the opening period, with five minutes to play.

Led by 11 points from Mayer, Illinois eventually took a 38-37 lead into halftime. The Illini grabbed five offensive rebounds in the opening 20 minutes, scoring eight points on those second-chance looks.

Illinois opened the second half with energy, going on an 8-2 run to open the frame. The Illini forced five turnovers within the first three minutes of the period to extend their advantage to seven points early.

After Nebraska battled back to take the lead, an 8-0 Illinois run – fueled by strong defense, two steals, and four points from Harris – put the hosts back in front, 56-50, with eight minutes to play. A 7-2 run that featured points from three Illini freshmen extended Illinois' advantage to nine with just over five minutes left on the clock.

The Illini closed the game on a 9-0 run and held the Cornhuskers scoreless in the final four minutes of play to secure the home victory and improve to 7-4 in conference play this season.

Illinois (16-6, 7-4) travels west to take on Iowa on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. CT in its next game.