The Stretch Run

February 4, 2007 10:15 PM

Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Minnesota Gophers

Illinois hit .500 in Big Ten play (5-5) for the first time Saturday night after defeating Minnesota 59-49. The Illini played without Chester Frazier who sat out to rest up some of his nagging injuries. Jamar Smith broke out of his shooting slump, scoring 13 points on 5-10 shooting (3-7 3pt). As the season winds down, the good news is that with 6 games remaining the schedule is quite favorable to finish strong and lock up an NCAA tournament bid. The bad news is 4 of those are on the road, starting Wednesday night at Northwestern. Thread. Recap.

Photos by Cary Frye courtesy of fryeimages. Many more photos of the game after the jump!