By IlliniGuys Staff

December 6, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

NEW YORK CITY -- Terrence Shannon Jr. scored all 16 of his points after halftime as #17 Illinois rallied from a ten-point deficit to upset 2nd ranked and previously undefeated Texas, 85-78 in overtime.

The contest was the first game on the schedule at the annual Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.  #15 Duke played Iowa in the nightcap.

Illinois (7-2) started off strong thanks to senior Matthew Mayer.  The Baylor transfer played his best half in an Illini uniform, hitting all six shots with three coming outside the arc for a 15-point first half as he helped Illinois to a 37-34 halftime lead.  But the turnover bug biting Illinois again, as they committed 11 in the first half.

Shannon Jr. came into the game as Illinois' leading scorer at 19.8 points per game, but didn't hit his first field goal until the opening minute of the second half.  One minute later, Mayer stole a Texas pass and dribbled down to drain his fourth three-pointer of the night and the Illini had their biggest lead at 42-36.

Things began to unravel after that.  Illinois went ice cold from the field, hitting just two field goals while committing six turnovers over the next ten minutes as Texas (6-1) went on a 20-4 run to take a 56-46 lead.  The Illini couldn't even make up ground at the free throw line, going o-for-6 in that stretch.

But Illinois clawed their way back behind RJ Melendez.  The sophomore wing scored seven points in an Illinois 10-2 run to close within 58-56.

After Texas fought back to lead 68-63 with 1:00 left, Jayden Epps took over. The freshman guard, who struggled to a 1-for-5 night in the loss at Maryland on Friday, scored all five points for Illinois in the final minute to force overtime tied at 68.

Shannon took it from there, scoring 12 of Illinois' 17 points - including 5-f0r-5 at the free throw line, and leading a defensive effort that allowed the Longhorns just three field goals while forcing four turnovers in the extra session.

Mayer finished with a game-high tying 21 points and Epps finished with 11, including 6-fof-8 on free throws.  Timmy Allen led the Longhorns with 21 points..

The contest was the first game on the schedule at the annual Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.  #15 Duke played Iowa in the nightcap.

Illinois plays Penn State this Saturday in its Big Ten home opener.