Illinois can't find way to stun Indiana at end
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A lot of Indiana fans wore red or white "got gordon?" T-shirts to the Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon.
They served as a small portion of the none-too-subtle reminders that Indiana wrestled shooting guard Eric Gordon, the Class of 2007's No. 3 recruit, away from Illinois.
But had the Illini figured out a way to avoid another long second-half drought -- or found a play that works in a game's final seconds -- those T-shirts would have transformed into excellent handkerchiefs.
Not only did the Illini force Gordon to earn each of his game-high 17 points, they rallied down the stretch for three opportunities to tie or take the lead in the last 20 seconds.
Alas, No. 10 Indiana never let a shot get to the rim and held on for a 62-58 Big Ten victory that was a scrap from tap to finish.
Though short-handed Illinois offered its finest effort since the win over Missouri on Dec. 22, it wasn't enough to avoid a fifth consecutive loss.
"I'd like to be happy, but I'm not," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "I mean, it's sad. It's hard. It's very difficult.
"I think we understand how hard we have to play now. We didn't understand that before. And I think they're into the team now -- and maybe not themselves. We had to grow up as a team, but I just hope it's not too late."
"It shows that we can be pretty good," said junior guard Trent Meacham, whose 3-pointer pulled Illinois within 60-58 with 1:23 to go. "But it's frustrating. Why haven't we played like this before?"
Playing without starting point guard Chester Frazier (torn cartilage in rib cage), Illinois (8-9, 0-4) nailed its first 6 shots to take a 13-4 lead.
Meanwhile, Gordon looked overeager early for the Hoosiers (14-1, 3-0) and missed his first 3 shots by a good margin.
"I was pretty excited," said Gordon, who finished 4 of 10 from the field with 4 turnovers.
Illinois built a 44-37 margin when center Shaun Pruitt (14 points, 8 rebounds) took D.J. White (15 points, 10 rebounds) off the dribble for a layup with 13:23 to go.
But that would be the Illini's last basket until Pruitt's right-handed flip over White with 5:55 remaining.
In the meantime, Indiana went on a 10-0 spree in a 97-second period to take the lead for good.
Yet, somehow, Illinois had a chance to tie or win when Weber used his last timeout with 25 seconds left.
He sketched a plan for Meacham to get open off a double screen, but freshman point guard Demetri McCamey wound up driving the baseline and having a reverse layup blocked for the second time in the half.
Illinois retained possession out of bounds after A.J. Ratliff's block, but Brian Randle's contested 3-pointer came up short. Calvin Brock soared for the rebound, but Ratliff stripped him as he went up for a 5-footer with four seconds to go.
"I'm not sure if I deserved a call," Brock said. "But I certainly tried to get one."
Instead, Illinois lost for the fourth time this year after having a chance to either tie or win on the game's final possession.
"Balls haven't bounced our way," Weber said. "Calls haven't gone our way. I guess that's part of it. That's the difference between having a great season and having a mediocre season."