|
Cook
had an amazing all-around game versus the Tigers, scoring 25 points and
pulling down 11 big-time rebounds as he brought back the "Braggin'
Rights" trophy for the first time in four years!
Not
to be outdone, Cook went into Austin and must have thought he was at the
Alamo, as he did all he could to prevent an Illini loss. Brian finished
the contest with 18 points and recovered six caroms.
[to top of second column
in this article] |
For
his work, the conference has named Cook the Big Ten's player of the week.
The only other Illini player so honored this season was Frank Williams
after his performance at the Maui Invitational. Cook finished the week 16
of 21 from the field and 8 for 8 from the charity stripe.
The
Fighting Illini have one more test before the brutal Big Ten campaign gets
under way. They take on a very emotional Illinois-Chicago team tonight at 7
p.m. at the Allstate Center in Rosemont. UIC features former Illini coach
Jimmy Collins, a friend to many of us here in the Lincoln area!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
|
|
Cook
leads Illinois to victory
in border war battle
By Greg
Taylor
[DEC.
22, 2000]
Lincoln's
Brian Cook, playing what coach Bill Self called "the best half (of
basketball) by anyone on our team this year," led Illinois to an
86-81 overtime victory over rival Missouri on Thursday evening at the
sold-out Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo. Cook had 23 points in the first
half alone on 9-of-10 shooting and finished with 25 points and 11
rebounds, both team highs for the 9-2 Illini. Brian finished the game with
two 3-point baskets and made all three of his free throw attempts.
|
|
Cook's
performance was especially critical on a night when starters Cory Bradford
and Marcus Griffin had sub-par performances. Bradford was just 1-of-8 from
the field and finished with only six points, while Griffin, who played two
years at Lincoln College, finished with just 10 points and missed several
close shot attempts. Illinois led the game 43-37 at the halftime break.
While
it was Cook who helped the Illini to the halftime lead, it was Peorian
Frank Williams who rallied Illinois late and took over in the extra
session. Williams had just four points at halftime and appeared very
frustrated by the pressure defense Missouri placed upon him. However,
Williams scored Illinois' last two buckets in regulation, the second of
which tied the game at 72 with just 40 seconds remaining. In overtime, it
was Frankie time, as Williams scored six of Illinois' 14 overtime points
and sealed the game with a 3-point play with just over two minutes
remaining to give Illinois a seven-point lead.
Though
unranked, Missouri proved to be a very tough opponent for the Illini. For
one of the first times this year, Illinois' bench was outscored, with an
18-13 advantage for the Tigers. Missouri was led by junior Clarence
Gilbert, who scored 23 points, including four 3-point baskets.
[to top of second column
in this article] |
Illinois
returns to action on Saturday evening with a non-conference game against
Texas. The game will be played in Austin, Texas, at 5:30 p.m. and can be
seen on ESPN2.
Illini notes
- Junior Damir Krupalijia did
not see any action, leading to speculation he may seek a medical
redshirt for this season, which would allow him two full years of
eligibility after this season. The 6-foot-9 junior from Bosnia by way
of Rockford has played in just five games this season and can play in
only one more if he wants to seek the redshirt.
- Illini coach Bill Self was a
finalist for the Missouri coaching job in the spring of 1999, which
went to Duke assistant Quin Snyder.
- Missouri had won seven of the
last nine border war games, dating back to 1991. Prior to 1991,
Illinois enjoyed an eight-game winning streak.
- Junior Cory Bradford kept his
3-point streak alive with a 3-point basket early in the second half.
Bradford has connected on at least one 3-point basket in 75 straight
games, an NCAA record.
[Greg
Taylor]
|
Missouri
|
|
|
FG
|
FT
|
reb
|
|
|
|
|
|
min
|
m-a
|
m-a
|
o-t
|
a
|
pf
|
tp
|
|
Rush
Soyoye
Johnson
Gilbert
Grawer
Stokes
Bryant
Gage
Paulding
Parker
Totals
|
21
35
32
38
36
24
3
17
16
3
225
|
5-13
0-1
7-10
8-23
3-6
3-10
0-0
1-1
2-7
0-0
29-71
|
0-0
6-8
1-4
3-5
0-0
2-4
0-0
0-3
3-5
0-0
15-29
|
2-5
4-9
5-12
0-1
0-1
0-4
0-0
3-3
2-4
0-1
16-40
|
3
2
0
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
10
|
5
4
3
1
5
4
2
1
5
2
32
|
11
6
15
23
8
9
0
2
7
0
81
|
Percentages:
Fg-.408, Ft-.517
3-point goals: 8-28, .286 (Rush 1-6, Gilbert 4-13, Grawer 2-5,
Stokes 1-3, Paulding 0-1)
Team rebounds: 5
Blocked shots: 3 (Johnson 2, Paulding)
Turnovers: 17 (Gilbert 3, Paulding 3, Bryant 2, Johnson 2, Rush 2,
Soyoye 2, Grawer, Parker, Stokes)
Steals: 8 (Stokes 3, Gilbert, Grawer, Johnson, Rush, Soyoye).
|
Illinois
|
|
|
FG
|
FT
|
reb
|
|
|
|
|
|
min
|
m-a
|
m-a
|
o-t
|
a
|
pf
|
tp
|
|
Cook
Mcclain
Griffin
Bradford
Williams
Melton
Archibald
Johnson
Harrington
Howard
Totals
|
42
32
30
35
36
0
12
19
19
0
225
|
10-14
3-7
5-10
1-8
8-17
0-0
0-2
1-3
1-4
0-0
29-65
|
3-3
8-12
0-2
3-4
2-3
1-2
3-4
3-4
1-4
0-0
24-38
|
3-11
6-9
2-11
0-2
0-3
0-0
0-1
1-7
0-0
0-0
12-44
|
1
5
0
0
5
0
1
2
0
0
14
|
3
4
5
3
3
0
2
1
3
0
24
|
25
14
10
6
18
1
3
5
4
0
86
|
Percentages:
Fg-.446, Ft-.632
3-point goals: 4-16, .250 (Cook 2-4, Bradford 1-6, Williams 0-3,
Harrington 1-3)
Team rebounds: 5
Blocked shots: 3 (Cook, Bradford, Williams)
Turnovers: 16 (Williams 4, Bradford 3, Griffin 3, Johnson 2,
Mcclain 2, Cook, Harrington)
Steals: 6 (Griffin 2, Williams 2, Harrington, Johnson)
Technical fouls: None
Attendance: 22,089
Officials: Ted Hillary, Bill Kennedy, Paul Janssen
|
