2-2,0-0CUSA
Illinois
3-1,0-0Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston | 40 | 46 | 86 |
| Illinois | 45 | 63 | 108 |
11/13/2026 8:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Sam Houston gave No. 3 Illinois all it could handle for much of the game, but the Illini widened the gap late to come away with a 108-86 victory Friday evening at the State Farm Center.
The Bearkats (2-2) held a second-half lead before two Illinois scoring runs dashed their upset hopes. It was the second road loss to a top-25 team this season for Sam Houston, which opened the season with a 96-74 setback at No. 20 Alabama on Nov. 3.
Justin Begg posted his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 assists. Aidan McDowell also scored 19 points, shooting 4-for-10 from behind the arc, as the Bearkats combined to make 14 of 33 attempts from 3-point range.
Yoda Oke finished with 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range, and Jacobe Coleman added 11. Matt Dann scored eight points, while Enel St. Bernard added six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The game was a slugfest for much of the evening.
Illinois took an 18-13 lead in the opening minutes, but Sam Houston answered with a 6-0 run to retake the lead. Oke knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two, then Riccardo Greppi blocked a shot on the other end. Oke connected again from long range to put the Bearkats ahead 19-18 midway through the first half.
Illinois responded with a 10-0 run to regain control. McDowell and Begg each knocked down shots to keep the Illini from pulling away.
Matt Dann hit a couple of shots in the lane, Coleman nailed a 3-pointer and Begg scored to keep Sam Houston within striking distance at 41-32 with 3:49 remaining in the half.
McDowell drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, and St. Bernard added a layup as the Bearkats forced a shot clock violation on Illinois' final possession of the half to head into the break trailing just 45-40.
Down five at halftime, the Bearkats twice pulled within three to begin the second half. Greppi threw down a two-handed dunk in the lane to make it 49-46. A 3-pointer by Illinois pushed the lead back to six, but McDowell answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the night to cut into the deficit.
Coleman got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to make it a one-point game. Sam Houston then took its first lead since early in the first half at 57-56 on a dunk by St. Bernard with 15:58 remaining.
A 13-3 run helped the Illini rebuild their lead to 10 before Oke knocked down Sam Houston's 11th 3-pointer of the night to trim the deficit to 71-64. Another scoring spurt by Illinois pushed the margin to 15, and the Bearkats could not get it back into single digits.
Illinois turned 14 turnovers into 19 points and outrebounded Sam Houston for the first time this season, 45-35. The Illini grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, converting them into 23 second-chance points.
Sam Houston remains on the road for a pair of matchups out West. The Bearkats will face Wyoming on Tuesday at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyoming.
