Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Illinois
Hoosiers Topple No. 7/5 Illinois, 62-60
1/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 13/11 (AP/Coaches) Indiana men's basketball team pulled out a tough conference win against the No. 7/5 Illinois Fighting Illini on Jan. 17 at Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall. The win marked the highest ranked opponent the Hoosiers have knocked off at home since defeated then-No. 1 Michigan State, 59-58, on Jan. 7, 2001. With the victory, Indiana improves to 11-3 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play. The Illini dropped only their second game of the year, falling to 16-2 overall and 2-2 in conference action.
Junior guard Roderick Wilmont and senior forward Marco Killingsworth provided big efforts for the Hoosiers. Wilmont equaled a season-high with 17 points off the bench and tied his career mark with nine rebounds. Killingsworth on the other hand finished with his fourth double-double of the season, including game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (12). Senior guard Marshall Strickland finished with nine points and four assists.
Wilmont and Killingsworth were the main forces behind the Hoosiers outrebounding the Illini, 39-31. It marked only the third time this season Illinois had been outrebounded and equaled a season-low in team boards for the Illini. In fact, Illinois came into the game leading the Big Ten in rebounding margin at 7.7 more per contest.
The Hoosiers used an early 10-2 second-half burst to open up a double-digit advantage for the first time in the contest. Leading 30-27 following an Illini free throw just 30 seconds into the second half, Wilmont and Killingsworth scored 10 of the game's next 12 points, opening up a 40-29 lead. A trey from Wilmont started the run, before Killingsworth scored three straight buckets in the paint.
The Illini would cut the lead back down to six, scoring five straight points. IU countered with a 13-4 run of its own to open up its largest lead of 15 (53-38) with 9:56 remaining. Killingsworth scored eight of the Hoosier points on the run. After only scoring three first-half points, Killingsworth finished with 20 in the second.
Illinois, who had won 55 of 57 regular season games coming into the contest with IU, would not go away quietly. Down 55-40 with 8:22 remaining, the Ilini went on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 55-52 with 4:52 remaining. Brian Randle led the Illini on the spurt with seven points, including a leaning three-point play on the fast break to cap the run.
The lead for Indiana would never reach more than four the rest of the way, and the Illini cut it to two on three occasions over the final minutes. Following a Killingsworth free throw that gave Indiana a 61-58 lead with 20 seconds remaining, Illinois looked to Dee Brown. But sophomore guard/forward Robert Vaden switched on a pick and got a hand in Brown's face, and his three-point attempt from the right side caromed off the rim, but Jamar Smith was there to tip in the shot, cutting the Hoosier lead to 61-60 with just four ticks remaining.
On the ensuing inbounds pass, Brown picked up his fifth foul on Vaden. The Hoosier wing hit 1-of-2 free throws to give IU its final margin of 62-60. Illinois guard Richard McBride had a desperation half-court heave at the buzzer, but the attempt hit harmlessly off the backboard, and the Hoosiers' celebrated their 11th straight home Big Ten Conference victory.
After a slow start that saw the Hoosiers fall behind 8-0 and 19-9, IU reeled of an 18-0 run to grab a 27-19 advantage with 1:16 remaining in the opening half. Indiana held Illinois scoreless for 6:31 during the stretch, and Wilmont capped the run with a pair of fastbreak buckets, including a steal and dunk that brought the Hoosier faithful to their feet. The Miramar, Fla., native finished the first half with 10 points, leading all scorers in the first 20 minutes.
Freshman Ben Allen, who made his first career start, hit a pair of threes to help spark the run. Indiana maintained a seven-point lead before Brown hit his only shot of the game for the Illini on a trey from the left side with just two seconds remaining in the first half. The three narrowed the gap for Illinois as the Hoosiers led, 28-24, heading into the locker room.
Illinois' pressure defense held Indiana to just three points in the first eight minutes of the game. The lone Hoosier bucket over that stretch was a three-pointer by senior Marshall Strickland. Indiana used the three-ball to stay in contention early, scoring 15 of its first 17 points came from behind the three-point arc.
The Hoosiers return to action against archrival Purdue on Saturday, Jan. 21. The game is slated for 2:35 p.m. at Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall. The contest will be televised on ESPN Plus and can be heard on the IU Radio Network with Don Fischer (play-by-play), former IU guard Todd Leary (color) and Joe Smith (pregame, halftime and postgame) on the call. The battle of instate foes will have a half point on the line in the AT&T Crimson and Gold Cup. The Boilermakers currently lead the series, 3-2.5.
