HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Illinois 51, Minnesota 49: Brandon Paul hit a 15-footer at the buzzer and scored nearly half his team’s points to give the Fighting Illini the dramatic victory over the Golden Gophers in the first round of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

Paul scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting and was the only player who scored more than six points for eighth-seeded Illinois (22-11). The Illini face top-seeded Indiana in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Austin Hollins scored 16 points and Andre Hollins added 13 for ninth-seeded Minnesota (20-12), which has lost 11 of 16 games following a 15-1 start. The Golden Gophers didn’t score in the final 2:55 and Austin Hollins committed a costly turnover with 14.6 seconds left prior to Paul’s decisive basket.

Minnesota trailed by 10 early in the second half before heating up with 10 straight points as part of a 16-2 surge to land a 38-34 advantage midway through the half. The Golden Gophers nursed the lead until Illinois’ D.J. Richardson drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 49 with 44 seconds remaining.

Illinois used a 19-2 first-half run to build a 21-9 lead. The Illini led 25-16 at halftime and were up 32-22 after Tyler Griffey’s layup with 16:40 left in the contest.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Golden Gophers had a 38-26 rebounding edge. … Illinois won despite shooting 32.1 percent but committed just six turnovers to Minnesota’s 19. … Minnesota’s 16 first-half points were a season-low output.