National Basketball Association
Alabama 79, Illinois 58
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Officials:
# Kevin Mathis, # Bret Smith, # Ted Valentine
Attendance:
2348
By SportsDirect Inc.
Alabama 79, Illinois 58: Levi Randolph had 20
points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Crimson Tide dominated the
visiting Illini in an opening-round NIT matchup.
Rodney Cooper added 19 points for sixth-seeded Alabama (19-14),
which won in interim coach John Brannen’s debut and advanced to play at Miami
(Fla.) on Saturday in the second round. The Crimson Tide, who also received 15 points and
seven rebounds from Retin Obasohan and 10 points from reserve Justin Coleman,
shot a season-best 59.6 percent from the field - including 8-of-15 from 3-point
range - and Randolph and Cooper were a combined 13-of-20.
Malcolm Hill had a game-high 22 points and six
assists to pace third-seeded Illinois (19-14), which had to play in Tuscaloosa with its
arena undergoing renovations and closed the season with six losses in its final
eight games. Rayvonte Rice added 12 points and Kendrick Nunn had 10 for the
Illini, who had 17 offensive rebounds but shot 32.3 percent from the floor.
Illinois took a quick 4-3 lead, but the hosts caught
fire and scored the next 20 points with the Illini going scoreless for
more than eight minutes. The Crimson Tide stretched the lead to 41-12 with just
under four minutes left in the half before the Illini closed with a 10-5 run to
make it 46-22 at the break as Alabama matched a first-half season scoring high.
A Cooper three-point play gave the Crimson Tide a 60-30
lead with 14:50 to play before Illinois cut it to 67-48 with six minutes
remaining. However, that proved to be the visitors’ last gasp as the Crimson
Tide outscored the Illini 12-10 the rest of the way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Alabama, which is making its third
NIT appearance in the last five seasons, is 7-2 in the tournament over that
span. … The Crimson Tide improved to 3-1 in the series, with all
three wins coming in the postseason – two first-round NIT victories and a 1986
second-round NCAA Tournament triumph. … The Illini finished 2-9 on the road.
Top Game Performances
| Illinois |
|
Alabama |
|
Malcolm Hill 22 |
Scoring |
Levi Randolph 20 |
|
Malcolm Hill 6 |
Assists |
Levi Randolph 5 |
|
Nnanna Egwu 8 |
Rebounds |
Retin Obasohan 7 |
|
Malcolm Hill 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Rodney Cooper 5 |
|
Ahmad Starks 2 |
Steals |
Retin Obasohan 2 |
|
Nnanna Egwu 2 |
Blocks |
Retin Obasohan 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Illinois
|
58 |
32.3 |
7-23 |
9-11 |
10 |
31 |
2 |
6 |
10 |
| Alabama
|
79 |
59.6 |
8-15 |
15-22 |
11 |
32 |
5 |
4 |
11 |
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