ORLANDO — Malcolm Hill scored a game-high 29 points, but a double-digit deficit in the first half was too much for Illinois to overcome in a 68-58 loss to Central Florida in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Wednesday night.
For more from the final game of the 2016-17 season, be sure to check out Thursday's News-Gazette and right here at IlliniHQ.com.
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UCF 57, Illinois 48 — 3:58 left in 2nd half
Consecutive three-pointers by Malcolm Hill, which followed one by Jalen Coleman-Lands, have perhaps made this a ball game. Illinois now trails by just nine.