NCAA News Wire
Illinois 73, Hampton 55
Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.
All posts by Alan DraperUpdated7 mins ago on April 20, 2024
Hampton struggled to make shots Wednesday night and never really had a shot to upset Illinois.
Converting only 34.8 percent of its field-goal attempts, the Pirates absorbed a 73-55 nonconference beating from the Fighting Illini at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
Illinois (8-3) led wire-to-wire in snapping a two-game losing streak.
Illini guard Kendrick Nunn led all scorers with 16 points. Guard Rayvonte Rice added 12, and forward Nnanna Egwu supplied 10 points.
Forward Dwight Meikle and guard Deron Powers each scored 12 points for Hampton (4-6). Pirates forward Quentin Chievous contributed 10 to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.
The Fighting Illini led 37-25 at halftime, and the Pirates edged within 50-40 with 12:20 remaining on Meikle’s jumper. At that point, Illinois rattled off 15 straight points, capped by two free throws from forward Leron Black with 6:14 left, to basically end the game’s competitive phase.
Nunn sank four of the Fighting Illini’s nine 3-pointers. Illinois hit 42.9 percent from 3-point range and was excellent at the foul line, drilling 22 of 26.
Hampton trailed by as many as 26 points with 4:28 remaining before finishing the game with an 11-3 run. The Pirates made seven of 15 3-point tries (46.7 percent).
