An extraordinary Illinois defense compensated for a disjointed offense Monday night.
Holding an opponent to the third-fewest points in the history of Assembly Hall that dates back to March 4, 1963, the Illini returned from their exam break to overpower Western Carolina 58-35.
There was one very encouraging aspect to the offensive performance for Illinois coach Bruce Weber, and that was the shooting of Mike Tisdale. The 7-foot-1-inch freshman came off the bench to hit six of his seven shots and score a career-high 13 points in 17 minutes.
“Tisdale was very important for us,” Weber said. “He made some baskets in the first half when we were really struggling.
“It was pretty ugly. We were a little overanxious, trying to please the coach, trying to please the fans. Sometimes we went a little too fast.”
Tisdale’s previous high had been eight points in victories over Arizona State and Weber State.
“The last couple games I’ve been trying to get more shots, and it’s starting to fall,” Tisdale said.
Illinois (6-3) had been idle since Dec. 8, when it squandered a big early lead and lost to 21st-ranked Arizona 78-72 in the United Center, and its offense sputtered for much of the first half Monday. The Illini made only 37.5 percent of their first-half field-goal attempts.
Center Shaun Pruitt made two baskets in the first half but missed five point-blank shots.
“Today was pretty messy the whole game,” senior forward Brian Randle said. “Shaun was a little cold in the first half, and Mike was able to capitalize. It gave him confidence; it gave us confidence; it gave the coaches confidence.
“He does it every day in practice.”
Western Carolina (3-7), which was wiped out 100-52 Saturday night at Indiana, had an even worse shooting night against the Illini, connecting on only 27.1 percent of its shots.
“We’re a young basketball team, and [at Indiana] we had the deer-in-the-headlights look,” Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said. “Tonight we wanted to compete. We played hard.
“I’ve seen a lot of tape of both [Illinois and Indiana], and they’re both Top 25 teams in my mind.
“As the season goes along, Illinois should be one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten. They play a little differently, but they should have some wars when they play.”
The Catamounts couldn’t cope with the Illini’s inside strength. Thirty-two of Illinois’ points came in the paint, and the Illini outrebounded their opponents from the Southern Conference 41-31.
Illinois guard Trent Meacham, a starter in five of the previous eight games, sat out because of an injured left ankle, and Weber felt the Illini suffered because of his absence.
“Not only can Trent shoot the ball, he’s also one of our best passers,” said Weber, who hopes to have Meacham back in action Thursday when the Illini meet Miami of Ohio at the Assembly Hall.
In taking an early 13-8 lead, Illinois did all of its scoring from down low.
Chester Frazier’s passes set up a layup and a stuff by Randle. Calvin Brock picked up a loose ball and slammed it through the hoop. Pruitt scored from the low post and added the free throw when he was fouled, and Tisdale got the first of his four first-half baskets when he put back a rebound.
It wasn’t until 5 minutes 45 seconds remained in the half that the struggling Illini finally succeeded in scoring from the outside on Brock’s two-point shot from the corner. That basket gave them a 15-12 lead.
After Michael Porrini made the second of two free throws to reduce the Catamounts’ deficit to 15-13, Tisdale’s three straight baskets highlighted an 11-2 Illinois run that broke it open.
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nmilbert@tribune.com
