Illini seniors step up, and Weber wants consistency
Illinois seniors Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt put an end to some of the frustration Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.
Randle scored a career-high 19 points, including 15 in the first half, while also grabbing 10 rebounds to lead Illinois to a 75-57 victory over Michigan that ended a five-game losing streak, a four-game skid in the Big Ten Conference and a three-game slide at The Hall.
After a quiet first half, Pruitt exploded in the second half to finish with 19 points and seven rebounds.
If the seniors would play like this more often, "it would make it easy on all of us,'' said Illini coach Bruce Weber. "I'm not sure you're getting 19 and 10 and 19 and seven every game. But consistent double-digit scoring and seven, eight, nine rebounds. Keep Brian Randle out of foul trouble. Be active. That's what we envisioned from the get go that we'd get out of these guys. They've had their moments, but they had their moments the other way.
"The other day I said, 'There are 15 games left in your career and the season. Seven home. Seven road. One guaranteed in the Big Ten tournament. Now, what are you going to do with it?' At this point, they responded well in the first one, and they've got 14 left.''
A 13-0 run broke a 43-all tie as the Illini enjoyed a comfortable finish. After improving to 9-9 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play, the Illini play at Purdue Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN), then head to Ohio State Tuesday.
"It's a confidence booster for sure,'' Randle said. "Whenever you get a win, it feels good. There were still some mistakes and a lot of room to get better, but it gets us back on the right track. It shows how hard we need to play. Maybe we can let this snowball into some wins.''
No, Randle didn't make a statement by entering the game with a tightly trimmed haircut. He was just following his mother's advice -- "When I cut my hair, I guess it's an event,'' he said -- but the seniors, criticized for not helping the Illini more during the losing streak, carried Illinois against the Wolverines although the box score suggested there was more balance.
Pruitt scored 13 of his points in the second half.
"I was so excited to walk and shake hands with a W,'' Pruitt said. "We gave up so many home games, we had to get the crowd excited about us again. We have to get the home-court advantage that we used to have in the past.''
If Illinois finally learned a lesson by playing harder at Indiana, the Illini brought the new-found intensity against the Wolverines. The Illini shot 52.9 percent, their second best of the season, and ended the game with 19 assists and 10 turnovers.
Guards Trent Meacham and Calvin Brock also had 11 points apiece. Freshman point guard Demetri McCamey, starting his third game, had seven points, six assists and four rebounds with two turnovers.
Reserve guard Anthony Wright's 15 points, 12 better than his average, paced Michigan (5-12, 1-4). Wright hit four 3-pointers in the first half after beginning the game with just nine 3-pointers all season. Meanwhile, the Illini shut down Michigan freshman Manny Harris. Harris, who entered with a 16.9-point average, scored five points.
"We compared it a lot to (Indiana freshman Eric) Gordon,'' Weber said. "If (Gordon) wasn't in the league, Manny Harris would be the freshman of the year right now. We started Calvin on him. We said to be there on the catch. Big guys had to show. Bump him and him give up the ball.
"He got frustrated and got out of rhythm. They looked for other people to score. Wright did it in the first half, but they couldn't really find anyone else in the second half.''
But even with Randle's impressive first half -- 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal -- the Illini only led 36-32 at halftime. The Illini, 11-point favorites, found themselves in another close game. Close games hadn't been Illinois' strength thus far.
Illinois led 56-43 with 7 minutes 53 seconds left after a 13-0 run. Pruitt had three points and Randle two in the surge, but McCamey and Meacham each hit a 3-pointer to cap the spurt.
"Illinois had a good combination of playing great defense and teamwork,'' said Michigan coach John Beilein. "That's the sign of a good team. This win will help them get their confidence and get going.''
NOTES: Illinois' best game shooting this season was a 57.4-percent game against Arizona State on Nov. 19. . . Randle scored 17 points earlier this season against Arizona State and Loyola (Md.). . . Michigan has lost 11 straight in Assembly Hall, dating back to 1996. . .
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.
Illinois report card
Front court A
Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt came up big, showing for one night what everybody was hoping to see all year. Randle was active, and for the most part, stayed out of foul trouble. Pruitt came alive in the second half when the Illini pulled away. So what's up for an encore?
Back court A
Trent Meacham and Calvin Brock scored points. Demetri McCamey showed maybe he should stay in the starting lineup and allow junior Chester Frazier to give the Illini a boost from the bench. Brock should also be credited for leading the defense on Michigan guard Manny Harris.
Bench C
Frazier had eight rebounds after returning following a rib injury that kept him on the bench against Indiana Sunday. Otherwise, there wasn't much help from the bench except.
Overall B
OK, so 1-4 in the Big Ten is better than 0-5, but it should be remembered that Michigan fell to Central Michigan and Harvard (and former Michigan coach Tommy Amaker) earlier this season. Illinois, Randle and Pruitt are in no position to get picky. Let's see if the Illini can take it on the road, get a win at Purdue and make up for one of those home losses.