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The Mocs (27-8) had two chances to win on their final
possession, but leading scorer Malachi Smith had his first shot
blocked by Coleman Hawkins and then missed a 17-footer as time
expired.
Kofi Cockburn scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the
Fighting Illini (23-9), who will face fifth-seeded Houston,
which defeated 12th-seeded UAB 82-68 on Friday, in the second
round on Sunday. Plummer finished with 15 points and Hawkins
added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Smith scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds for
Chattanooga, but he made only 4 of 20 shots from the field and
missed his last eight attempts.
The Mocs' second-leading scorer, David Jean-Baptiste, who hit a
30-footer at the final horn to win the Southern Conference title
and send Chattanooga to the NCAA tourney, connected on just 2 of
11 shots and scored four points.
Chattanooga led for all but 1:25 of the game, earning a 43-41
edge on the boards and holding Illinois to 38.8 percent shooting
from the field.
"They just knocked us right in the mouth the first six minutes
of the game and took it to us," Illinois coach Brad Underwood
said. "Kicked our butt. They were much more ready to play than
we were from an energy and execution standpoint."
The Mocs opened early leads of 14-3 and 20-6 despite finding
foul trouble inside early. Silvio De Sousa was whistled for two
quick fouls and Josh Ayeni also committed two early fouls while
trying to guard Cockburn.
But Illinois simply couldn't make shots -- either from the field
or the line. The Illini enjoyed a significant advantage in
free-throw attempts but couldn't make it matter, hitting only 9
of 17 before halftime. Cockburn, who was fouled on a steady
basis, converted just 5 of 10 free throws in the first half.
The Illini didn't reach double figures until Omar Payne sank a
layup at the 7:44 mark to make it 20-10. They found a little
rhythm later in the half, drawing within 31-29 on a Cockburn
dunk in the last minute before Smith canned a layup to put the
Mocs ahead 33-29 at intermission.
The Mocs were up 40-29 early in the second half, but a 10-0
Illinois run wiped out most of the deficit.
--Field Level Media
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