CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois men's basketball team returned home for the first time since Nov. 25 to beat UNLV, 77-74, Saturday at State Farm Center. The Illini led by as many as 14 with 8:23 remaining in the second half but UNLV cut it to 74-72 with 29 seconds left before Illinois held on for the win.
Illinois big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili hit two free throws with 27 seconds left go give the Illini a four-point cusion. The 6-foot-9 Bezhanishvili, who finished with nine points, also hit a 3-pointer in the first half.
UNLV had the ball down three points with 13 seconds left and a chance to tie the game on the final possession. Junior Andres Feliz then picked off an errant UNLV pass and dribbled out the clock to seal the win. Feliz led the Illini with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
UNLV (4-4) was led by Joel Ntambwe's 18 points. Cheikh Mbacke Diong scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Rebels.
Illinois held UNLV to 34 percent shooting from the field (23 of 68), while shooting 47 percent (28 of 59). The Illini led 40-34 at the half.
Samba Kane, a 7-foot center from Senegal, got 16 minutes of playing time for Illinois, scoring eight points. Kane, a true freshman, showed some offensive promise and was a force around the rim during his court time.
The Illini were back in Champaign for the first time in nearly two weeks, playing its third game in seven days.Â
UP NEXT: The Illini (3-7) are off until next Saturday when they host East Tennessee State at State Farm Center (1 pm CT).Â
ILLINOIS POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
• Illinois leads the all-time series against UNLV, 5-2.
• This was UNLV's first ever trip to Champaign.
• Illinois had a season-high six blocks.
• Illinois had 16 fastbreak points, the Illini's second-most this season (19 vs. Georgetown).
• Illinois outscored UNLV 40-30 in the paint, including a 24-14 advantage in the second half.
• Illinois outrebounded UNLV 18-14 in the second half after getting beat on the boards 28-18 in the first half.
• Illinois held UNLV without a field goal for a 8:01 stretch in the second half (18:19-10:18).
• Illinois returned home for the first time since Nov. 25 after playing three straight games away from State Farm Center.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Junior guard Andres Feliz scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. His previous career high was 16 points in the season opener against Evansville.
• Freshman center Samba Kane scored a career-high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in a career-high 16 minutes. Kane had scored six points in 15 minutes in the first nine games of the season (4 played games).
• Senior guard Aaron Jordan led Illinois with seven rebounds, tied for his second-best rebounding effort of the season (10 vs. Gonzaga).
