Basketball Game Coverage

University of Illinois

ICYMI: Seniors Come Up Big in Home Finale

Posted: March 5, 2015

Written by FIGHTINGILLINI.com staff writer Lexi Shurilla | Follow @LexiShurilla

On Senior Night at State Farm Center, Fighting Illini seniors Rayvonte Rice and Nnanna Egwu
stepped up big in front of the sold-out home crowd as the Orange and Blue took down the
Cornhuskers, 69-57.

Big Ten Battle

The Illini were prepared for a physical battle against Nebraska after losing to the Cornhuskers
earlier this season on the road. After getting off to a slow start and trailing 12-8, Illinois scored
on four straight possessions over a 1:41 span just under the 10 minute mark of the first half to
complete a 9-0 run that made it 17-12. The Cornhuskers kept it tight throughout the first half but
the Illini held the lead at the break, 31-25, with freshman Leron Black leading the way with nine
points.

The Huskers came out firing to start the second period and scored the first 11 points of the half,
but the Illinois seniors provided leadership and refocused their team to respond in a big way,
going on a 20-8 run to turn a 36-31 deficit into a 51-44 advantage. The run was kicked off with a
three-pointer by Rice at the 15:25 mark and followed with a total team effort to regain the lead
and with the Illini shooting 52 percent from the field in the second half.

Illinois, which entered the game leading the NCAA in free throw percentage at 79.6 percent,
continued its strong shooting at the line, going 20-of-23 (87 percent).

"We stayed poised, we stayed together and didn't buckle," Rice said. "They threw a punch and
we just answered."

Illinois improved to 9-8 in the Big Ten, marking its most conference wins under Groce, and
finished with a 14-2 record at State Farm Center in 2014-15, including a 7-2 mark in Big Ten
play.
Seniors Die Hard

Seniors Ryan Schmidt, Ahmad Starks, Nnanna Egwu and Rayvonte Rice with Coach Groce before Wednesday's
game.

Illinois' final home game against Nebraska marked Senior Night for the Illini's four seniors -
Nnanna Egwu, Rayvonte Rice, Ahmad Starks and Ryan Schmidt. The seniors combined for 34
points - Rice (23), Egwu (6) and Starks (5) - while manager-turned player Schmidt entered a
game for the second time this year and played the final 18.9 seconds to the delight of Illini fans.

"I was really proud of our guys," Illinois head coach John Groce said. "I thought our seniors had
that look in their eye like they weren't going to let us lose. I thought all three of them had that
look in their eye. Then late in the game I thought Ray (Rice) and Nnanna (Egwu) really willed us
and made plays."

Rice stepped up in a big way in his last time playing in front of the home crowd. The Champaign
native put together a relentless performance to lead all scorers. With just over three minutes to
play in the game, the Huskers had cut the Illini lead to six, but Rice hit a key three-pointer with
1:35 remaining that helped push the Illini lead to 59-50 and seal the victory. Rice poured in 23
points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 4-of-7 from the arc, marking his eighth 20-
point game of the season.

"He's a big part of our team," Egwu said of Rice. "When he was out, the other young guys did a
great job of filling in and stepping up. Ray's done a great job of coming into a lineup and not
forcing anything, he helps the ball work of everybody else and he shares the ball and picks his
spots when to take over, and we needed him to take over this game and he took over."

Egwu turned in a solid defensive effort with four blocks to go along with eight rebounds and six
points. With the crowd rising to its feet during the final minute as Starks, Rice and Egwu were
taken out, and manager-turned-walkon Schmidt entered, the emotions started to come out as
realization set in that this was their last time playing on their home court. After the final buzzer,
Egwu made a point to walk around and thank the fans for supporting him over the last four years.
"I can say all I want to them, but at the end of the day if you don't have the leadership like Egwu,
he's got your back," Groce said. "He understands. He gets it. He's going to have those guys ready
today for shoot around and they were ready. I knew they would be. They responded.

"The ultimate compliment I can give Nnanna is that if my sons have the character and the
substance of Nnanna Egwu, I'll be the happiest father in America. He's one of a kind."

Future Looks Bright

The Illini bench and the capacity crowd enjoying the victory.

While the leadership of the senior class was on display through their toughness and resiliency,
the underclassmen did their part to secure a victory to send off their captains with a win.
Freshman Leron Black had huge production off the bench, connecting on a season-high five free
throws while finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. Sophomores Kendrick Nunn (11) and
Malcolm Hill (10) also entered double figures for the Illini.

"I thought Leron Black off the bench was terrific," Groce said. "I thought he was physical and
did a great job of making plays on the glass for us, finishing plays, stepping up and making free-
throws."

Starting right after the game wrapped, State Farm Center started its next phase in its Illinois
Renaissance renovation. The most demanding phase of the renovation began immediately
following Wednesday's home win against Nebraska, meaning the Senior Night game was the
final event for the arena in its original interior layout. SFC won't open its doors until next
December and will undergo quite the facelift in the meantime.

Considering tip was set for 9 p.m. Wednesday night, Illinois distributed approximately 4,500
tickets to UI students in recognition of the great support the Fighting Illini have received at home
all season. The home fans didn't disappoint, as the sold-out crowd showed up to send off the
seniors. Groce has continued to say how important the fans have been all season at home and
can't thank Illini Nation enough for its support.
"I think with everything that these guys have been through, the leadership the older guys have
given us, all the different curveballs we were thrown, dating back to last spring until now, I
thought our fans recognized the character that this group had," Groce said. "Certainly a lot of that
credit goes to the players, and a lot of cases to their parents, because we have a group of guys
who really have some character and some substance to them. I thought our fans were
phenomenal."

Copyright 2017 University of Illinois

Link to article:
http://fightingillini.com/news/2015/3/5/ICYMI_Seniors_Come_Up_Big_in_Home_Finale.
aspx