Providence holds off Illini, Finke

The first half saw five lead changes, with the Friars holding the lead for most of half (15:50).

The IL forward missed a tip dunk in the closing seconds Wednesday night that nearly certainly would have given his team a quality road win at Providence.

IL took Providence down to the wire in a tightly contested game that was drama-filled, intense, and all-around, fun to watch.

A 3-pointer by Bentil and a layup by Ryan Fazekas to open the second half gave the Friars (2-0) the biggest lead of the game at 7 points. With the Friars up 60-59 with just under a minute to go, Dunn showed his defensive prowess again, blocking what would’ve been a go-ahead layup for Alex Austin. The true freshman scored eight of the Cougars’ points and connected on a pair of three-pointers. This is where Dunn was really able to use his length to affect the game, as he turned a block of Illini star Malcolm Hill into a fast break lay-up that tied the game with just under four minutes left.

Illinois’ sharp-shooting freshman guard Coleman-Lands has proved to be a threat from all over the court.

The Wildcats have not been predicted to go anywhere near the top of the standings in the Big Ten, but they are tied for seventh in BT Powerhouse Power Rankings so everyone knows that they could be a real sleeper especially for a conference that might see six or seven bids in the NCAA tournament.

It was a tough night for the Illini, as their two starting big men were in foul trouble throughout the evening. Leron Black picked up a number of cheap fouls, including a moving screen in the first half. Without those two, IL is missing a major piece of its offensive scheme. Bullock had 13 points while Dunn contributed with 10 points and eight rebounds. Dunn didn’t score his first field goal until the nine-minute mark, but made his presence felt with big plays on both ends down the stretch.

On the other side, IL didn’t quite get the production the team was looking for, but did have a few noteworthy performances. In tonight’s case, that player was Ben Bentil. The sophomore absolutely killed IL on the glass as he pulled down 11 boards. He scored 18 on the night and always got a solid bucket in the post when the Friars needed one.