Terrence Shannon Jr. tied a program record with eight 3s and had a game-high 29 points. His second-half inferno gave the Illini a win over a top 10 opponent.
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Chase Stevens
Illinois needed some energy down double-digits in the second half.
It got it from a likely source in Terrence Shannon Jr., and an unlikely one in freshman Sencire Harris.
Shannon was the star for the No. 19 Illini, tying the program-record of made 3s in a game with eight triples and a game-high 29 points, but Harris’ second-half minutes were crucial for a 79-70 come-from behind win over No. 8 UCLA on Friday in Las Vegas at the Continental Main Event.
UCLA had a 15-point lead with 17:53 left after a 17-1 run, then Shannon caught fire. He had 19 second-half points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double as an Illini and willed the offense down the stretch.
He hit a large portion of his 3s off the dribble while the Bruins went under screens, but also added spot up looks down the stretch. He had four 3s in the final 8:02 to stretch the lead after a Skyy Clark layup gave Illinois a 53-52 lead with 9:10 left.
Illinois led for the rest of the game thanks to a run featuring a full-court press and some energy injected by Harris that flipped the game in the second half.
Illinois had eight steals and got pressure during a 24-8 run that was started by Shannon’s first triple of the second half. UCLA turned the ball over nine times in the second half, while the Illini outscored the Bruins 51-33 after the break.
Harris guarded UCLA guard Tyger Campbell for stretches and ratcheted up the ball pressure that helped Illinois get 17 points off UCLA turnovers. Harris finished with four points, an assist and a pair of steals while the Illini were plus-16 in his 10 minutes, all of which came in the second half.