Illini Comeback Falls Short Against Tar Heels
April 5, 2005 12:20 AM
The North Carolina Tar Heels cut down the nets Monday night at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO, ending the University of Illinois' dream season. Sean May pulverized Illinois on the inside, shooting an astounding 10-11 (6-8 from the line) for 26pts. Luther Head lead the Illini with 21 points, Roger Powell grabbed 14 rebounds, and Jack Ingram had another solid outing off the bench for 11 and 7. James Augustine had a nightmare game, fouling out with zero points in only 9 minutes.
Carolina ran away with the first half, going up 40-27 at the break. UNC extended its lead to 15 early in the 2nd half, then the Illini's shots began to fall and a slow rally was under way. At the 8:51 mark Sean May sank 2 free-throws and the Heels were back up double-digits, 65-55. During the next 6:10 Illinois went on a 15-5 run which culminated in a Luther Head 3-pointer that tied the game at 70 with 2:41 to go. From there, the Illini went cold and failed to hit another shot—including a potential game-tying Head trey with 0:20 to go—and the Tar Heels hit their free throws to seal up the championship, 75-70.
- Too little, too late, but what a ride!
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[msn.foxsports.com] - Arch sadness
[chicagotribune.com] - 'Kindly mother' of UI suits up for big game
[news-gazette.com]
