Winthrop rallies to upset Illinois in OT

[November 22, 2016]  Winthrop rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes to force overtime, then took control in the extra session to earn an 84-80 victory over Illinois in NIT Season Tip-Off play Monday night at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

Keon Johnson, a 5-foot-7 guard and the Big South's preseason Player of the Year, poured in a career-high 38 points to lead the Eagles to their first victory over a Big Ten opponent. Despite dealing with repeated cramps in his left calf, Johnson canned 15 of 21 shots from the field with a variety of acrobatic drives and long-range bombs.

Sophomore forward Michael Finke paced Illinois (4-1) with 18 points. Senior guard Tracy Abrams added 17 points and senior swingman Malcolm Hill scored 14 points despite going 4 of 17 from the field. Illinois had won 35 straight home games in November -- a streak that dated back to 2007.

Johnson triggered Winthrop's 10-0 run over the final 2:43 of regulation with a driving layup, a banked 3-pointer and an 8-foot runner. But it was junior forward Xavier Cooks who came through with the tying basket -- a 3-pointer from the left corner with 26 seconds left to give Winthrop its first tie of the half.

Hill, who didn't make a shot after halftime, held the ball for the final shot of regulation, but his 14-foot pullup bounced off the rim and out of bounds to send the game into overtime.

Winthrop (3-1) never trailed in overtime, though Illinois had its chances in the final moments. With Winthrop leading 82-80, Illinois forced a turnover in the backcourt but couldn't control the ball. Winthrop guard Bjorn Broman missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but senior forward Roderick Perkins soared to tap the rebound back to senior forward Tevin Prescott. After getting fouled with 5.6 seconds left, Prescott sank two free throws to clinch the game.

Despite the loss, Illinois moves on to the NIT Season Tip-off semifinals. The Illini join West Virginia, Florida State and Temple at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Illinois faces No. 19 West Virginia on Thursday afternoon for its first game against a nationally ranked nonconference opponent since falling 84-73 to No. 4 Iowa State on Nov. 28, 2015.

Illinois threatened to knock out Winthrop in the first five minutes. Abrams and Hill each drilled a pair of 3-pointers to stake the Illini to a 14-2 lead at the 15:10 mark of the first half. Winthrop answered with a 13-2 spree -- capped by 3-pointers from Borman and Johnson -- as Illinois went more than four minutes without a basket.

Winthrop took a brief lead on Duby Okeke's pair of free throws with 5:19 left in the first half, but Illinois erased that 27-25 edge on its next possession with sophomore guard Jalen Coleman-Lands' 3-pointer.

Illinois benefited from the return of sophomore power forward Leron Black, who was suspended for the first four regular-season games after pleading guilty to misdemeanor aggravated assault. Black, a Top 40 recruit in the Class of 2014, came off the bench to deliver 10 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes.

Illinois boosted its 38-34 halftime lead to 56-46 on Black's putback with 12:50, but Winthrop again silenced the Illini with a 7-0 run over the next three minutes.

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