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Illinois led by 22 points at halftime, but Rutgers got as
close as 11 in the second half before suffering its 27th
consecutive Big Ten loss. Junior center Maverick Morgan
contributed 17 points and four blocks while junior guard
Kendrick Nunn added 16 points for Illinois (12-14, 4-9 Big Ten).
Freshman forward Jonathan Laurent paced the Scarlet Knights
(6-20, 0-13) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman point
guard Corey Sanders, who stacked up 39 points and 12 assists
when Illinois outlasted Rutgers in triple overtime on Feb. 3,
missed the game after being suspended Monday by coach Eddie
Jordan for violation of team rules. The two-week edict keeps him
out of the lineup until the March 2 home game against Michigan
State.
Illinois utilized runs of 13-0 and 15-2 to sprint out to a 47-25
lead at halftime. The Illini pushed the margin to 55-30 with
16:02 to go when senior point guard Khalid Lewis fed redshirt
freshman Michael Finke for a fast-break layup, but that's when
Illinois turned sloppy and cold.
Laurent, sophomore guard Michael Williams (15 points) and senior
point guard Bishop Daniels (15 points, seven assists) took turns
scoring and Rutgers got as close as 69-58 on a pair of Laurent
free throws with 5:22 to play. Morgan answered with a pair of
free throws to ignite a 6-0 Illinois run that ensured its first
home win since Jan. 10.
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