? Coach Bill Self
? G Sean Harrington, F Sergio McClain and C/F Robert Archibald
By JOHN KELLY
Associated Press Writer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Reserve Sean Harrington made all five of his 3-point
shots and scored a career-high 17 as Illinois beat Texas Southern 86-57 Sunday.
Harrington sank three straight 3-pointers midway through the second half to
give Illinois an insurmountable 30-point lead.
Illinois (4-1) got solid contributions from most of its regulars, too,
including 16 points and eight rebounds from center Marcus Griffin. He dominated
the smaller Tigers inside all day.
Harrington's big shooting day was timely coming off the draining trip to
Hawaii, where Illinois lost the championship game to No. 1 Arizona by just
three points.
Illinois used a 13-0 run to move ahead 18-6, but Chris Miller's shooting
kept Texas Southern (0-3) in the game.
Miller's fourth 3-pointer got the Tigers within 20-16 with 10:29 left in the
half. That was the closest they got.
Griffin and Robert Archibald combined for 13 points in the paint as Illinois
closed the half with a 19-6 run for a 49-29 lead.
The Illini stretched the lead to 70-40 with 11 minutes left on Harrington's
hot shooting. The Tigers didn't let them pile on.
Miller stopped getting open 3-point chances, so the Tigers tried to go
inside when Illinois switched to a smaller lineup.
Texas Southern hit 11 free throws during a 23-8 run to draw within 78-63
with 4:11 remaining.
Miller finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for Texas Southern. Ricky
Bennett added 13 points and Steve Hoyer 11.
But the Tigers shot just 34 percent from the field and managed just seven
assists against the Illini defense that is yet to let a team make more than 45
percent of its shots.
