Randle leads Illini's surge in second half
CHAMPAIGN -- As its opponent missed shots at a historic rate, Illinois struggled to change the game's mind-numbing pace.
The Illini matched Loyola-Maryland miss for miss Friday night, building a double-digit halftime lead but hardly feeling good about it. Early in the second half, coach Bruce Weber peered downcourt and screamed, "Get some emotion!"
His words echoed throughout a library-quiet Assembly Hall.
Illinois needed a spark, some noise, and Brian Randle provided it. The 6-foot-8 senior forward keyed a second-half surge and lifted Illinois to a 77-43 win, its most lopsided victory of the season.
Illinois (8-4) held Loyola (5-7) to 20 percent shooting, the lowest percentage for an opponent in the Assembly Hall's 44-year history. But for a while, the Illini weren't faring much better.
"I got after them at halftime," Weber said. "They were pouting a little bit, sulking. It's not all dunks and about yourself. It's about guarding and defending and then creating offense."
Randle did all those things and more. He matched his career high with 17 points, sinking 7 of 10 shots, and added 8 rebounds.
His energy spilled over to classmate Shaun Pruitt, who posted his third double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) of the season.
"We did a good job playing off each other," Randle said. "We talk about it, we joke about it, but we know the more productive we can be, it opens things up for everybody."
Randle, who savored last Saturday's Braggin' Rights win against Missouri more than any other player, helped to negate a 2-on-1 opportunity to begin the second half. He then took a pass from Pruitt and raced for a dunk.
Moments later, Randle stole the ball and found Pruitt, who fed freshman Demetri McCamey (9 points) for a basket plus a foul. As Loyola applied defensive pressure, Randle repeatedly attacked the rim, scoring on 2 follow slams to give Illinois a 52-26 lead.
"Them pressing us helped out a lot," Randle said. "We've really focused on press. We've gone 4-on-6 in practice, 5-on-6, 5-on-7. We were well prepared for it."
Loyola hardly looked prepared for Illinois' defense. The Greyhounds' sorry shooting percentage continued to drop as they missed 40 of their first 48 shots.
Before Friday, Penn State had the lowest shooting percentage in Hall history (21 percent in 2004). Illinois allowed a season-low 13 field goals, and Loyola shot 4 of 27 from 3-point range, the lowest percentage (14.8) for an Illini opponent this season.
Randle led the defensive charge, holding Loyola's leading scorer Gerald Brown to 4-of-18 shooting.
"At our level, when you take the best player out of the game, you're in trouble," Loyola coach Jimmy Pastos said. "The defense was really good."
Illinois shot 51.6 percent in the second half and went 18 of 25 at the foul line, including a near perfect effort from Pruitt (6 of 7).
"I can't remember too many times I've done that," Pruitt said.
The lopsided game allowed Weber to get extra minutes for Mike Tisdale (7 points, 5 rebounds), Mike Davis (5 points, 3 rebounds) and McCamey. Illinois' second half ignited the crowd, which had watched a shocking loss to Miami (Ohio) in the team's last home appearance.
"You don't have the students, so you've got to create your own energy," Weber said. "Then the crowd will feed off of it."