No. 14 Illinois blows late 10-point lead, beats Nebraska 87-84 in overtime
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Marcus Domask and Justin Harmon each made two free throws and Terrance Shannon Jr. had a steal in the final 25 seconds of overtime to help No. 14 Illinois beat Nebraska 87-84 on Sunday.
The Illini led 72-62 with 3:29 left in regulation, but Nebraska went in front on Rienk Mast’s short jumper with 9 seconds left. Domask then split a pair of free throws with 3 seconds remaining, tying it at 73.
"We were out of whack on offense and they made some tough shots," Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins said of the Cornhuskers’ late run.
Hawkins led Illinois (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten) with 20 points. Domask had 19, and Ty Rodgers finished with eight points and 14 rebounds.
Shannon scored 18 points in his fifth game back after sitting out six games because of a university-imposed suspension because of a rape charge in Kansas.
Keisei Tominaga scored a career-high 31 points for the Cornhuskers (16-7, 6-6), who were coming off an overtime win Thursday over No. 6 Wisconsin in a game in which they trailed by 19 points in the first half.
Mast scored 22 points against the Illini, and Juwan Gary had 12.
"Typical day in the Big Ten," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "It’s the best league in the country. Great players. Great coaches. Tominaga is very gifted. He has a great release on his shot and he’s very smart."
Illinois Fighting Illini Forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts during the college basketball game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 4, 2024, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael
Tominaga went 5 for 7 from 3-point range and 9 for 14 from the field overall. He also went 8 for 8 at the free-throw line.
Nebraska led Illinois 36-34 at halftime, but the Illini made their first six shots in the second half to grab a 47-40 advantage.
"I’m proud of our resolve, coming within seconds of beating a great team in a great atmosphere on the road, but we’ve got to start turning up our physicality. We gave up too many offensive rebounds," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Illinois had a 50-33 rebounding advantage. It grabbed 17 offensive boards compared to Nebraska’s five.
Nebraska is winless in six Big Ten road games. Illinois is 5-1 at home in the Big Ten.
The victory vaulted Illinois into a tie for second place in the Big Ten with Wisconsin. The Badgers lost 75-69 Sunday to No. 2 Purdue, which leads the conference at 10-2.
"This is a big win. We’re in control of our destiny," Hawkins said.
ILLINI DOMINATION
Illinois continued its domination of Nebraska. The Illini have beaten the Cornhuskers eight consecutive times in a streak that began Feb. 2, 2019.
BIG PICTURE
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers came into the game leading the Big Ten with an average of 9.5 3-pointers per game. They made 12 Sunday. They are 9-4 when making at least 10 3s.
Illinois: The Illini completed a grueling stretch of seven games in 19 days when they beat Ohio State on Tuesday. Illinois went 5-2 over those seven games. Illinois’ schedule eases considerably this month as the Illini make a bid for the Big Ten regular-season title. Starting with Sunday’s game against Nebraska, the Illini will play seven games during February.
UP NEXT
Nebraska: At Northwestern on Wednesday.
Illinois: At Michigan State on Saturday.