Illinois Falls 72-61 To No. 25 Florida State
NEW YORK (AP) — Dwayne Bacon scored 17 points to lead No. 25 Florida State to a 72-61 win over Illinois in the consolation game of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday.
Jonathan Isaac had 15 points and seven rebound for Florida State (5-1), which bounced back from its first loss of the season Thursday in Brooklyn.
CJ Walker finished with 13 and Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 10 for Florida State.
Despite getting a game-high 18 points from Malcolm Hill, Illinois (4-3) lost its third straight. Leron Black chipped in with 15 points, and Te'Jon Lucas had 10.
The first meeting between the ACC and Big 10 programs was a taut affair for 30 minutes before Florida State seized control.
Tied 44-all with less than 10 minutes to play, the Seminoles outscored the Illini 7-0 in a 56 second span. The run was sparked by Trent Forrest, who had two steals and drew a shooting foul.
Illinois had cut the deficit to 55-50, but as soon as it looked as if the Illini were about to make a game of it, the Seminoles went on an 11-1 run to extend their lead to 66-51.
BIG PICTURE
Illinois: The Illini came into the tournament having won four of five. The Illini leave Brooklyn having been swept by nationally ranked West Virginia and Florida State. While Illinois was more competitive against Florida State than it was against West Virginia, the Illini were outclassed in the final 10 minutes of the consolation game.
Florida State: The Seminoles had not played a game in which they scored fewer than 86 points this season until this win.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Florida State: Despite the win over Illinois, Florida State may drop out of the Top 25 due to its loss to unranked Temple on Thursday.
NOTABLE
Illinois: Senior guard Tracy Abrams was examined by a trainer during a second half stoppage in play after being inadvertently elbowed in the mouth by Florida State center Michael Ojo, fighting for position in the low blocks.
Florida State: Finished the game with seven blocked shots and five steals.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Will face the North Carolina State Wolfpack Tuesday in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge in Champaign, Illinois.
Florida State: Will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers Monday in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge in Tallahassee, Florida.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
