On Thursday, March 26, coach Brad Underwood’s Illinois Fighting Illini defeated coach Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars 65-55 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on the latter’s home floor, the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Houston vs Illinois Box Score
Houston
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| C. Cenac Jr. | 6 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Tugler | 6 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| K. Flemings | 11 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| M. Uzan | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| E. Sharp | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| K. Sakho | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| C. McCarty | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| M. Miller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Illinois
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| D. Mirkovic | 14 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| J. Davis | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| T. Ivisic | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| K. Wagler | 13 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| K. Boswell | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| B. Humrichous | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Z. Ivisic | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Stojakovic | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Houston vs Illinois Game Summary
It was a low-scoring game throughout the first half between coach Kelvin Sampson‘s team and the Illinois Fighting Illini. Houston Cougars had the advantage of playing their Sweet 16 game at home. But it was Illini stalwart Tomislav Ivisic who opened the scoring at the 19:20 mark. Houston’s first points came at the 15:12 mark from veteran Emanuel Sharp, as the defense was the main story thus far.
With the first period reaching its midway point, the Illini still had the advantage by two points, 12-10, as it seemed as though playing in away territory did not affect them. The Cougars kept clawing their way back. They even knotted the game up at certain points. Still, the Illinois-based program had a tight two-point lead, 24-22, at halftime, even with Cougars’ Kingston Flemings nailing the buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, the momentum gained after Flemings’ last-second shot in the first half did not translate early in the second period. After they were able to knot the game up at 24-all, coach Brad Underwood‘s squad went for a 20-2 run that put the Houston-based program in a large deficit. By the midway mark of the final period, the Fighting Illini held a 13-point lead, 44-31, over the Cougars.
Still, Flemings and the rest of coach Sampson’s team continued to put pressure on Illinois, as they showcased why they made it all the way to the national championship game last year. They cut the deficit against the Fighting Illini by as much as seven points. But, time eventually ran out for the Cougars, as adjustments made by coach Underwood’s squad helped them secure a 65-55 win.
Read More: Kingston Flemings Stats Today – How Did Houston Star Perform in Win/Loss vs Idaho
Also Read: “Took the Belts Off And Beat Our Behinds”: Brad Underwood Drops Scathing Comment for Illinois After Embarrassing Loss vs Michigan
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