That palate cleanser ended up being North Carolina A&T. They were able to put up a fight for a while holding Illinois to only a three-point lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the first half. But the Illini quickly increased that lead to take control of the game.
With five minutes to go until halftime, Illinois managed to go on a run and extend the lead to 38-23. North Carolina A&T would try to fight back but the Illini were too much. The Orange and Blue went into the halftime locker room up 50-34.