No. 22 Illinois trailed at halftime to St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, but junior guard Brandon Paul sparked a rally to give the Illini a hard fought 48-43 victory at Assembly Hall. Paul earned five points by himself on one late possession, and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. The win moves the Illini to 9-0.
Junior guard D.J. Richardson added 11 points in the win for Illinois. Sophomore center Meyers Leonard finished with nine points and eight rebounds. No one on the Illini's bench scored.
The game was sloppy throughout. The Bonnies finished 17-of-48 (35.4%) from the field, while Illinois was just 15-of-47 (31.9%) on field goals.
Andrew Nicholson led the Bonnies with 17 points and eight rebounds. Demitrius Conger and Matthew Wright each scored six for St. Bonaventure, who fell to 3-4 with the loss.
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