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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Malcolm Hill scored 13 points as No. 24 Illinois defeated American 70-55 on Saturday.

The Illini (7-1) only led by two points midway through the first half, but a 17-2 run put the Eagles (5-4) in an early deficit.

American whittled the lead to eight with 10:42 remaining in the second half. But the Illini's Jaylon Tate had a three-point play and Hill drained a 3-pointer off a steal on the next possession.

Nnanna Egwu chipped in five points and seven rebounds, while Rayvonte Rice worked his way through a shooting slump, 1-of-7 from the field, to finish with 10 points.

Pee Wee Gardner led American with 16 points, while Jesse Reed added 13 points.

After consecutive poor shooting performances against Baylor and Miami, the Illinois offense was back to its usual form. The Illini shot 48.1 percent in the first half and 48 percent overall.

However, Illinois was just 5-of-12 from behind the 3-point line, well below its average of 9.4 threes per game.

The Eagles lost the bench scoring stat 28-3. Their lone bench points came on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Marko Vasic to end the game.

The Eagles looked to slow the pace of the game and worked the entire shot clock on many possessions. Despite only scoring 55 points, the Eagles shot 50 percent from the field.