National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Illinois 60, Nebraska 49
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Officials: # Tom Eades, # Gene Steratore, # Terry Wymer
Attendance: 13206


Illinois 60, Nebraska 49:
Kendrick Nunn scored 13 points to lead a balanced scoring effort as the host Illini snapped the Cornhuskers’ five-game winning streak.

Rayvonte Rice tallied 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals while Malcolm Hill also contributed 10 points for Illinois (16-12, 5-10 Big Ten), which won consecutive games for the first time since a four-game streak from Dec. 21-Jan. 4. The Illini, who also ended a five-game conference home losing streak – the longest in school history – forced 15 turnovers while holding Nebraska to a season-low point total.

Terran Petteway had 13 points to pace the Cornhuskers (16-11, 8-7 Big Ten), but the Big Ten’s leading scorer went 5-of-18 from the field, including 1-of-6 beyond the arc. Nebraska, which went 100-for-137 from the foul line during its longest conference winning streak since 1999, settled for a 6-for-7 effort from the stripe on Wednesday.

Illinois held Petteway to two points on 1-of-9 shooting in the first half, but had to settle for a 27-24 lead at the break and appeared to be in trouble after Nebraska took a one-point lead after forcing center Nnanna Egwu to the bench with his third foul. Instead, Hill drained two of Illinois’ five 3-pointers during a 23-9 run that gave the Illini their biggest lead of the game at 50-37 midway through the second half.

Petteway, who also missed his first four shots of the second half, rallied the Cornhuskers with a 3-pointer and driving layup in a 33-second span, but Nebraska could get no closer than eight thereafter when Egwu converted a layup and Hill drained four straight free throws. The victory allowed Illinois to move out of the conference basement and halt a stretch in which it had lost 10 of 12.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Illinois held its third straight opponent to fewer than 50 points. … Nebraska F Shavon Shields, who went 15-of-15 from the foul line and scored a career-high 33 points in the Cornhuskers’ Feb. 12 victory over Illinois, made his only free throw and finished with eight points. … The Illini went 9-of-24 from beyond the arc – the most makes and attempts they have recorded in conference action.

Top Game Performances
 
Nebraska   Illinois
Terran Petteway 13 Scoring Kendrick Nunn 13
Terran Petteway 3 Assists Tracy Abrams 5
Shavon Shields 9 Rebounds Rayvonte Rice 9
Shavon Shields 3 Free Throws Made Malcolm Hill 4
Benny Parker 1 Steals Rayvonte Rice 4
Terran Petteway 2 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Nebraska 49 44.4 3-13 6-7 7 28 4 3 15
Illinois 60 37.3 9-24 13-19 12 34 0 11 9