Illinois needs buzzer beater to avoid a fourth early loss
As Illinois players spilled onto the court in celebration of Jalen Coleman-Lands game-winning 3-pointer on Monday night, embattled Illini coach John Groce could only muster a relieved smile.
Groce knew the Illini never should have needed last-second heroics to eke out an 82-79 victory over lowly Chicago State.
The shrewdly designed, well-executed play to free Coleman-Lands was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal Illinois performance. Inbound passer Malcolm Hill got the ball back via a handoff at the foul line, sped up court and fed a wide-open Coleman-Lands spotted up in the corner for a game-winning shot that beat the buzzer by no more than a couple tenths of a second.
Coleman-Lands' shot ensured Illinois would not start the season 1-4 for the first time since before the Cubs last won the World Series. The Illini (2-3) already lost a tough one-point heartbreaker to Providence and fell at home against North Florida and Chattanooga.
Whereas North Florida and Chattanooga are at least small-conference powers, a loss against Chicago State would have been a whole new level of bad. Chicago State went 8-24 last season and dropped its lone prior game against a Division I opponent this year by 42 at Iowa State.
Illinois actually needed a game-saving second-half rally and some final-minute good fortune just to give itself a chance to avoid another loss. The Illini trailed by 14 in the second half before freshman forward Michael Finke sparked a comeback. Chicago State still led by two in the final minute but a steal in the backcourt and a shot clock violation short-circuited its upset bid.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
