Kendrick Nunn netted 19 points and
Nnanna Egwu posted a double-double to lead the Illinois Fighting Illini to a
62-49 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Big Ten action at Williams
Arena.
Egwu tallied 14 points, 11 rebounds as well as four blocks for Illinois
(15-12, 4-10 Big Ten), which had lost 10 of its previous 11 games. Tracy
Abrams chipped in 13 points and six assists to the winning cause.
Andre Hollins finished with 15 points for Minnesota (17-10, 6-8). Maurice
Walker and Austin Hollins each chipped in 10 points.
It was Minnesota that led at halftime, 27-24, after both teams struggled in
the opening frame. The Golden Gophers shot at a 36.7 percent clip, which was
slightly better than Illinois' 32 percent showing.
After the intermission, the Illini heated up to 55 percent shooting, as they
blew past Minnesota, which had only eight field goals in the final 20 minutes.
Minnesota lost despite outscoring Illinois, 24-16, in the paint. The Illini
had the scoring edge from 3-point range (24-12).
