Highlights | Press Conference | Photo Gallery | Box Score (PDF)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --Â Illinois used a big final 11 minutes of play to defeat Nebraska, 72-56, at State Farm Center on Tuesday night. The Illini outscored the Cornhuskers, 24-6, during that stretch to secure their seventh win in eight games.
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.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
QUOTES
Brad Underwood
Opening statement:
"(Sencire Harris and Ty Rodgers) were huge factors in the outcome of tonight's game. I give Fred and Nebraska a lot of credit. They've been in here since Saturday, and I don't know if that's an easy thing or a good thing sometimes. Easing up on the travel. They came straight from Maryland. We beat them in by half an hour, 45 minutes Saturday night.
"A game in which, to be very honest, we were really flat emotionally, and you saw that in the insurgence of those two guys who were just up here. Ty and Sencire, their effort and energy was just through the roof. It changed the game. They've got a unique game plan with the way they play. Defensively, taking away post-ups and rotating so hard; it's hard to get the ball in there. I thought that transition was huge.
"This is the second game in a row we've had halves where we've held teams under 20 points. Obviously the 24-6 run at the end of the game. But again, I thought a night we weren't at our best. I don't want to discount Nebraska. They played very, very good, and Fred's one of the best offensive coaches in all of basketball. Puts his teams in the right spots. I thought our defense prevailed. That's what we have to hang our hat on. I think that our guys understood. RJ, by the way, had two really big charges.
"I think our guys have to understand that mental approach, not making scouting report mistakes, playing with energy. That's something we can control. We talked about it for the last two days, but I'm happy for the win and really happy for those three freshmen. I thought they all did a lot of really good things."
On the freshmen's impact:
"They're good. They're good players. I got a lot of confidence in Jayden. I got a lot of confidence in what Ty is going to do. I know he's a guy that is going to shut down the other team's best player. I don't know how many games Sencire's changed with his defense and his tenacity. Tominaga hits a couple, insert him, water cut off, and then it leads to a couple easy baskets in transition. He gets a couple easy ones.
"Yeah, I mean, those guys are all really good players, and I'm happy for them. We needed them tonight, in a night when we weren't our sharpest, they were, and it's nice to see that."
Ty Rodgers
On finding his role:
"It's been 100% mental. Just knowing some games I'm gonna play 15 plus minutes, and other games I'm gonna play five minutes. It's just staying hungry, staying aggressive, just standing in the gym, and continuing to work."
On getting offensive rebounds:
"I just know that's gonna keep me on the court. The more I crash the glass, the more I get those rebounds, the more it's going to help the team."
Sencire Harris
On what was different in the second half, and on providing a spark off the bench:
"I think it was the energy. First half was a little sloppy. We talked as a team that we had to clean it up, and I think it just helped us play defense. We're one of the best teams in the Big Ten, I would say. Just the energy that we provide, and when we get out and run, it's hard to guard us."
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois has won seven-straight games over Nebraska, matching the Illini's series-record win streak from Jan. 3, 1921, through Dec. 11, 1976.
- The Illini have won seven of their last eight games.
- Illinois is now 24-7 in January over the last four years.
- Improve to 11-2 at State Farm Center this season.
- The Illini held the Huskers to 19 points in the second half, the fewest points they've allowed to an opponent in the second half this season.
- Illinois now has held back-to-back opponents to fewer than 20 points in any half.
- Illinois held Nebraska scoreless for the final 4:28 of the contest, forcing the Huskers to go 0-for-7 during that span.
- The Illini have won all seven of their Big Ten games by at least nine points.
- Four Illini players scored in double figures, the second time they've done so in the last three games.
- All eight Illini players that saw the floor in the first half made at least one field goal.
- Illinois out-rebounded Nebraska 36-29, including a 9-3 advantage on the offensive glass.
- The Illini scored 11 second-chance points.
- The Illini out-scored the Huskers in the paint (36-22) and in transition (12-2).
- Illinois recorded 14 assists on 25 field goals.
- The Illini scored 20 points on 19 Husker turnovers.
- Illinois forced 13 turnovers in the second half, while allowing just seven field goals.
PLAYER NOTES
- Matthew Mayer scored a team-high 16 points, knocking down three 3-pointers. Mayer also tallied six rebounds.
- Scored a team-high 11 points in the first half.
- Has made at least two 3-pointers in three-straight games.
- Has double-digit scoring efforts in three-straight games and in eight of his last nine.
- Has three-straight games with at least six rebounds.
- Recorded his 10th game of the season with at least two blocks.
- Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 13 points, added two rebounds and recorded a game-high five assists.
- Coleman Hawkins scored 10 points, secured eight boards and dished out three assists.
- Has grabbed at least seven rebounds in three-straight games.
- Went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, a season-high in makes.
- Freshman Jayden Epps scored 12 points, tallied three rebounds and three assists.
- Has double-digit scoring efforts in all three of his Big Ten starts.
- Freshman Ty Rodgers scored seven points and added seven rebounds.
- Grabbed at least seven rebounds for the third time in the last five games, all coming off of the bench.
- Freshman Sencire Harris scored eight points, going 4-for-4 from the floor, collected three rounds, two assists and two steals.
- Dain Dainja scored four points and grabbed five rebounds.
