1/14- Illini Fend Off #25 Wolverines

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois center Mike Tisdale scored 24 points and guard Demetri McCamey added 17 in the Illinis 66-51 victory over No. 25 Michigan on Wednesday night. The teams faced each other just 10 days earlier, a 74-64 win for Michigan in Ann Arbor. Illinois coach Bruce Weber pulled Tisdale from that game early, saying he was too rattled by Michigan forward DeShawn Sims to be effective. Tisdale scored all but six of his points in a strong second half for Illinois (15-2, 3-1 Big Ten), many on soft jump shots as he finished 10-of-12 from the field. Sims finished with 14 points and nine rebounds at Ann Arbor. On Wednesday, he had a quiet seven points on 3-14 shooting. Manny Harris had 20 points for the Wolverines (13-4, 3-2). The Wolverines went up 31-30 at halftime, the games 11th lead change. Neither team led by more than three points until then. But Michigan opened the second half cold, including a 3-minute scoreless run that allowed the Illini to go up 39-34 on a jumper by Tisdale. Illinois never trailed again. Tisdales exclamation point was a long 3-pointer with just under 5 minutes left that gave Illinois a 57-45 lead and lit a fire under a near-capacity crowd. McCamey provided the bulk of Illinois offense in the first half, with 15 points and two assists. The Wolverines were 6-of-29 from the field in the second half, and Harris accounted for 15 of their 20 points after halftime. Michigan didnt get to the free throw line until the 18:15 mark of the second half, and were just 6-of-9 from the line. Illinois has victories over three Top 25 teams, winning at Purdue and beating Missouri at a neutral site.