Illinois was in this game from the start. Just a little over 10 minutes into the game, the Illini had a 20-15 lead. Purdue would then come back and take the lead with just under five minutes to go in the half. But, Illinois would go on a 6-2 run to take the halftime lead, 33-32.
The second half was ugly for the Illini. They came out of the locker room stale. Purdue was hitting shots left and right. Less than five minutes into the second half, the Boilermakers had a nine-point lead. The Illini would fight back and were only down two points with 9:27 to go in the game.