The Champaign Room · 14m
No. 3 Illinois pulls past Sam Houston after messy first half
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A little too close for comfort.
In the first ever meeting between the two teams, No. 3 Illinois took care of Sam Houston State at State Farm Center Friday night with an 108-86 win after its first loss of the season Tuesday night in Lubbock.
Despite a messy first-half showing from Illinois that featured one too many missed layups and defensive breakdowns, the second half performance was enough for the Illini to pull away and win decisively.
Big man Tomislav Ivisic carried over the momentum from his 14-point game on Tuesday and put up a career-high 28 points, his third double-digit point total this season. He carried the Illini from range, knocking down 6-of-14 3-pointers.