Illinois started the game hot and didn’t let up. We were up 11-0 before Purdue could score their first point almost seven minutes into the game. That lead remained solid for pretty much the entire first half. Illinois was up by nine points with 10 minutes remaining. It was a 10-point lead with just five minutes to go until halftime.
Heading into the halftime locker room, the Illini were able to get the lead up to 13 points. It was a dominating first half that featured Illinois coming alive and their bench playing great basketball. The story of the first half was great defense by Illinois and the continued emergence of superstar guard, Alan Griffin.