Bragging rights were the least of coach Bruce Weber’s worries Saturday night when Illinois met next-door neighbor Missouri at the Scottrade Center.
The Illini desperately needed a victory over a brand-name opponent. And they got one, winning an intense physical struggle 59-58 when Shaun Pruitt scored on a third rebound attempt with 39 seconds to play.
Pruitt finished with a team-high 14 points, Trent Meacham scored 13 and Brian Randle collected 11 before fouling out as the Illini defeated Missouri for the eighth straight time. Leo Lyons scored 15 for the losers before fouling out.
“Look at your non-conference schedule — there are key games you want on your resume,” Weber said before the game, putting the contest into context.
In the preceding two weeks, the Illini had lost two of those “key games” in overtime — against Arizona on Dec. 8 in the United Center and against Miami of Ohio on Thursday night at the Assembly Hall.
“It’s a major step back if you’re looking down the road to get into the NCAA tournament,” Weber said of the loss to Miami. “We have our backs to the wall.
“I don’t know if this is the ideal set-up — play Thursday, play Saturday. It’s just like in the tournament, one day of rest and deal with it. We’ve been through Canada (playing late-summer exhibition games) with a one-day turnaround and through Hawaii with a one-day turnaround (in the Maui Invitational). I hope it helps us here.”
Making the turnaround even more difficult was Missouri’s unrelenting full-court pressure defense and racehorse offense in complete contrast to Miami’s deliberate style.
However, it was Illinois that got off to a fast start. The Tigers missed their first five shots and the Illini hauled down rebounds, hustled the ball across midcourt and attacked on the inside. Power moves by Pruitt produced three baskets and he set up a point-blank shot by Calvin Brock. Randle, who had gotten three defensive rebounds, put back his own missed shot, and Mike Tisdale, made the second of two free throws to give Illinois a 9-0 lead.
Coach Mike Anderson’s team quickly counterattacked, disrupting the Illini offense with the constant pressure to go on a 14-2 run to surge ahead 14-11.
Led by forward Lyons and reserve guard J.T. Tiller, the Tigers eventually gained a four-point lead before the Illini rallied behind the 4 of 4 shooting of Meacham, who hit three shots from three-point territory and a two-pointer from the top of the free-throw lane.
At the half Illinois was back on top 32-31.
Just as they did at the start of the game, the Illini went on a run to start the second half, scoring 11 of the first 13 points. Chester Frazier instigated the run with a pull-up shot from the lane; Brock contributed two baskets; and Randle had two baskets and a free throw.
Helped by Illinois’ ballhandling blunders and fouls, Missouri again retaliated, slashing its deficit from 10 points to one just past the midway point in the half.
The Illini’s problems were compounded when Randle was whistled for his fourth foul while going for an offensive rebound with 8 minutes 57 seconds remaining. Stefhon Hannah parlayed the foul into a pair of successful free throws, enabling the Tigers to take a 47-46 lead. It was a give-and-take game the rest of the way.
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nmilbert@tribune.com
