University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Fall To Illinois 64-52
1/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Lawrence McKenzie scored 17 points but Minnesota fell to Illinois 64-52 this evening at Williams Arena. Illinois jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first half and never trailed to improve to 14-6, 2-3 in the Big Ten. The Gophers lost their third straight and fell to 7-11, 1-3.
Illinois quickly jumped out to a 13-0 lead as Warren Carter scored seven points in the first five minutes. The Gophers finally got on the board on a Dan Coleman basket with 14:54 on the clock. The Gophers chipped away and made the score 17-11 on a McKenzie three with 8:41 left. Limar Wilson drained a 19-foot jumper on Minnesota's next possession to time the deficit to just four at 17-13. However, Illinois came right back with another 13-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a commanding 30-13 lead with 5:05 left. The Illini got three treys in the stretch, including two by Trent Meachem. After Illinois expanded its lead to 23 with 2:38 left, Minnesota scored the final seven points of the first half, capped by a Bryce Webster follow dunk with 38 seconds left and the Gophers trailed 38-22 at the half.
Minnesota managed just 7-of-19 shooting in the half while Illinois made 16-of-32. Carter scored 14 points in the first half to lead Illinois.
The Gophers slowly chipped away at the Illini lead in the second half. A Coleman three-point play with 9:34 left pulled Minnesota within 14 at 55-41. Two straight tip-ins by Brandon Smith, who saw action for the first time since December 22 and two free throws by Jamal Abu-Shamala brought Minnesota within 12 at 59-47. Two more Smith free throws on the next Gopher possession and they trailed by just 10 at 59-49 with 5:04 left. Illinois managed to clamp down defensively over the final five minutes, holding the Gophers to just one field goal. A McKenzie driving layup with 23 seconds left made the final score 64-52.
In addition to McKenzie's 17 points, Coleman scored 10 and grabbed five boards. Smith came off the bench with seven and five boards. Jon Williams blocked a career-high five shots. Carter led Illinois with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Brian Randle and Meachem added 12.
The Gophers shot 39 percent for the game (17-44) and made 15-of-19 from the free throw line. Illinois held a 37-27 advantage on the glass. Illinois hit 44 percent of its shots (24-55) and made 7-of-14 three-point attempts.
Minnesota returns to action on Saturday afternoon against Northwestern at Williams Arena. The game tips at 1:30 p.m.
