SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois center Mike Thorne Jr. scored 21 points and the Illini stiffened on defense in the second half to rally for an 80-74 win over North Dakota State Sunday.
After leading for only 17 seconds in the first half and falling behind by 14 points in both halves, the Illini managed a weekend split against strong midmajor programs. Illinois (1-1) lost to North Florida Friday.
While Thorne scored 13 points in the second half, he found help from Illini freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands, who sparked Illinois on a 9-0 run to get the Illini back into the game early in the second half.