|
 Hill poured in 27 points including driving in
against a double team and somehow twisting, turning and spinning in
a tough off hand layup to give Illinois the closing margin with 4.4
seconds left in the game.
Amazingly, PSU was easily able to go the length of the court and
superstar D.J. Newbill had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer.
However, the Illini defensive machine, Nnanna Egwu, was back and
positioned to alter that final shot and somehow Newbill's shot
incredibly missed and clanked off the rim. The Nittany Lions have
been the U of I's nemesis before and it looked like they would be a
thorn in the side once again, but this time fate smiled on the
Illini.
 The Illini continues to struggle with their outside shooting and
scoring and the defense still has a ways to go to get to
"locked-down” status. But in the midst of all these struggles the
Illini are just 1 game away from a .500% in league play. And they
have been fighting uphill for three weeks now and can reach the
50-50 status Tuesday night when they host the Rutgers Scarlet
Knights. If you don't think the Illini have enough troubles to
overcome comes the news that Aaron Cosby and Rayvonte Rice have both
been suspended indefinitely. Is it just me, or does it seem like
with Illini sports when it rains it pours? [to top of second column] |
At any rate, Hill was joined in the scoring column by Kendrick
Nunn who tallied 10 points and Ahmad Starks chipped in a
valuable 9 points off the bench. The Lions were led by Newbill's
20. The Illini tip off with Rutgers Tuesday night at 8:30. [By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffqmay@gmail.com.
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