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| 1st Half | |
| Illinois | 30 |
| Providence | 32 |
- Providence came out and played a 2-3 zone from the opening tip. The Friars mixed in some zone against Harvard on Saturday but this is all zone.
- Illinois had 9 turnovers in the first 20 minutes which hasn't been characteristic of them early this season
- Kyron Cartwright played well for Providence, adding a pair of treys and a runner to provide some offense when Kris Dunn was on the bench. Dunn spent a little extra time on the bench due to having 2 fouls.
- Quadree Smith also had some nice minutes for Ed Cooley. He went right after Mike Thorne, Jr. and scored his first collegiate points. Thorne, Jr. sat for the final 5:20 of the half with 2 fouls.
- Rodney Bullock was very active on the offensive glass with 4 offensive boards. He did sit the last couple minutes of the half after getting his second foul. Ben Bentil led the Friars with 11 points.
- Malcolm Hill and Jalen Coleman-Lands led the way for the Illini. Hill had 9 points and Coleman-Lands had 8.
- Neither team was shy about tossing up 3-pointers. Providence went 4/14 and Illinois was 4/11.