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Tisdale, Richardson, guide Illinois past Northern Colorado

Dec 13, 2010 - 1:25 AM Champaign, IL (Sports Network) - Mike Tisdale and D.J. Richardson each had 14 points, leading 16th-ranked Illinois to an 86-76 victory over Northern Colorado.

Mike Davis added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Bill Cole also had 12 points for the Fighting Illini (10-1), who have won seven straight. Demetri McCamey registered 11 points and eight assists in the victory.

Neal Kingman scored a game-high 21 points for the Bears (4-4), who had a modest two-game win streak snapped. Elliot Lloyd contributed 16 points, and Devon Beitzel had 13 points in defeat.

The game was won in the first half, when Illinois built a 19-point lead.

A 12-0 run by the Illini early provided a 24-12 lead. Cole produced a three- point play and was followed by consecutive baskets from Tyler Griffey to finish off the spurt.

McCamey and Jereme Richmond hit back-to-back layups with just over four minutes remaining in the period to extend the advantage to 36-22, and a 9-0 burst toward the end of the stanza ended when Cole's three provided a 45-24 margin.

Emmanuel Addo's jumper with seven seconds left in the half brought the Bears to within 45-26 at halftime.

Northern Colorado scored 12 straight points in the second half to trim their deficit to 67-57, but a pair of three-pointers by Richardson quelled the comeback attempt and put Illinois ahead, 75-59, with 7:37 to play.

The Bears never got closer than 10 down the stretch.

Game Notes

This was the first meeting between the two schools in men's basketball...Illinois is 7-0 at home, while Northern Colorado is 0-3 on the road...The Bears committed 24 turnovers, compared to only 15 for the Illini.