SPRINGFIELD — Trailing by seven points at halftime Saturday night against Chattanooga wasn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for Illinois.
In fact, the Illini have trailed after the first 20 minutes in every game they’ve played this season. Seven points was actually a fairly mild deficit, considering Illinois was down double digits at halftime to both North Florida and North Dakota State.
But for the third time in four games, Illinois wasn’t able to overcome its early deficit. The Illini rallied in the second half — even led by as many as nine — but Chattanooga caught fire from three-point range late to pull out an 81-77 victory in front of 5,653 fans at Prairie Capital Convention Center.