CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois needed a career-high performance from Malcolm Hill to outlast Northern Kentucky 79-64 on Sunday night.The senior scored a career-high 40 points and brought down 12 rebounds to help Illinois (2-0) fight through a first half where the Illini trailed 33-31 at halftime and struggled to hold off the Norse off until the end.It was something I was working on over the summer, Hill said. This is just one of the games that showed a lot of the hard work and dedication that Ive put into my 3-point shot.The Illini shot 44 percent from the field but were 20-30 from the free-throw line.Michael Finke also scored in double figures, adding 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini.Illinois coach John Groce credited his veteran team for the polite conversation at halftime to change the teams energy and focus.Our seniors responded big time in the second half, he said. I thought we came out with a lot more aggressiveness, a lot more attacking mentality.Lavone Holland II led Northern Kentucky (1-1) with 13 points, which kept the Norse in the game until the final eight minutes.The Norse held a 43-32 rebound advantage despite Northern Kentuckys tallest players being 6-foot-7.Northern Kentucky was sloppy with the ball for most of the game, committing 18 turnovers that led to 21 Illinois points.Our youth showed when things went bad and I thought their veteran leadership showed with their run, Northern Kentucky coach John Brannen said.BIG PICTUREIllinois: The Illini will have a lot to work on despite the win. They will have a few games to work out the kinks before tougher opponents appear on the schedule.Northern Kentucky: The Norse can hold their heads up despite the loss. Northern Kentucky competed well throughout the game against a Big Ten opponent.TURNING POINTIllinois and Northern Kentucky exchanged baskets and the lead for much of the start of the second half until Hill took over. He scored 29 points in the half and helped put the game away.HIGHLIGHT REELTracy Abrams got the State Farm Center crowd excited when he came from behind to block a Drew McDonald fast break layup.UP NEXTIllinois will play its third game in five nights when the Illini host McKendree on Tuesday night.Northern Kentucky will try to rebound after its first loss of the season on Friday when the Norse play Austin Peay in the Tarkett Sports Classic in Oxford, Ohio.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.orgAdidas Springblade China . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Cheap Mens Nmd Shoes . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). http://www.nmdsneakerssale.com/ . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Cheapest Nmd Shoes . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Adidas Nmd Sneakers Style . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Go to: Starters | ReservesHow will Emmanuel Mudiay, Danilo Gallinari and the Denver Nuggets?do in 2016-17?Here are our player scouting reports and anaalysis.dddddddddddd ' ' '