Illinois walked away with a 108-86 win over Sam Houston on Friday night, but the final score covered up a shaky first half and a defense that never really settled in.
The Illini were supposed to cruise while everyone waited for Duke, but Sam Houston came out ready to scrap and made Illinois work far harder than expected. At halftime, the Bearkats were still within five, and that was a sign Illinois had spent too much of the opening 20 minutes sleepwalking through the game.
The second half looked much more like the version of Illinois fans expected. The offense finally caught fire, putting up 63 points after the break to turn a sloppy night into a comfortable finish. But the bigger takeaway was that the Illini needed that halftime reset badly.
Illinois was clearly looking past Sam Houston. After coming off the Texas Tech game and with Duke coming Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the focus just wasn’t there early.
Sam Houston played with more urgency, and Illinois looked flat enough that a five-point halftime lead felt way too close for comfort. Whatever was said in the locker room worked, because the Illini came out more engaged and finished the job.
The veterans were a big reason the game didn’t get away from them. Tomislav Ivisic led the way with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting and 6-of-14 from three-point range, giving Illinois the kind of scoring punch it needed.
Andrej Stojakovic was right there with him, finishing with 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Stefan Vaaks added 14 points and brought early aggression that helped keep Illinois in control once the offense started rolling.
Quentin Coleman also made his presence felt all over the floor. He had three turnovers, but the rest of his line showed why he remains such an important piece: 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
He also led the team with three offensive rebounds. For a freshman, that kind of across-the-board production stands out, even with the mistakes that come with being young.
There was at least one bright spot on the defensive end, and it came from Zvonimir Ivisic off the bench. In just 15 minutes, he posted two steals and a block, and Sam Houston had a tough time finding anything easy in the paint while he was out there.
He also finished with five points, five rebounds, and two assists. For a team that gave up 86 points, that kind of impact mattered.
The rebounding picture, though, is still a concern, especially with David Mirkovic out. Illinois won the battle on the glass 45-35, but it still felt like a night where his presence would have made a bigger difference.
Coleman led the team with eight rebounds, and Illinois’ two 7-foot-or-taller big men combined for 10 boards in 37 minutes. No one else besides Coleman had more than five.
Mirkovic’s absence is showing up every game, and Friday was no exception. Illinois got the win, but the rebounding and defensive effort left enough questions to keep this from feeling like a clean performance.
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