The 2012 Big Ten Tournament is finally underway, and in the first game of the day, the No. 9 seed Illinois Fighting Illini lead the No. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes 31-27 at the half. Meyers Leonard got off to a great start, as he hit five of six shots for 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists as well. D.J. Richardson hit 3-5 three-pointers -- the only three the Illini hit all half -- and added nine points from his backcourt spot to augment Leonard's performance.
Iowa got nine points on 4-5 shooting from guard Matt Gatens to stay within striking distance, but they are only shooting 44 percent as a team and have yet to grab an offensive rebound. The only reason the Illini haven't pulled away is because they have been a bit sloppy with the ball (seven turnovers) and can't seem to find a stroke from beyond the arc (3-12 as a team). The winner of his game will take on the top-seeded Michigan St. Spartans on Friday morning.
You can catch the rest of this game on the Big Ten Network.
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