Illinois St. vs. Illinois in Cancun: Recap

Sam Maniscalco scored 14 points, including five in the final minute, and Illinois hung on to beat Illinois State 63-59 Wednesday night in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge’s Riviera Division.

Richardson scored 13 points and Brandon Paul added 12 for the Illini (5-0). Maniscalco’s basket gave Illinois a 59-54 lead and his layup restored a five-point lead after a pair of Illinois State free throws.

Jackie Carmichael had 17 points and Jon Ekey scored 14 for the Redbirds (3-2), who had a chance to win at the end, but Tyler Brown missed a long 3-pointer with a second remaining and the Redbirds trailing 61-59. Paul made two free throws for the final margin.

Illinois improved to 8-0 all-time against Illinois State. The schools, whose campuses are only 50 miles apart, went nearly 3,000 miles to meet in Cancun.