(Champaign, IL) -- Rayvonte Rice paced five teammates in double figures with 13 points as the Illinois Fighting Illini outlasted the Dartmouth Big Green at the State Farm Center, 72-65.
Joseph Bertrand, Nnanna Egwu and Jon Ekey each scored 11 points for Illinois(9-1), which has won back-to-back games. Malcolm Hill chipped in with 10 points for the hosts.
For Dartmouth (3-4), Connor Boehm and Gabas Maldunas mirrored each other with 17 points and nine rebounds apiece, while Eli Harrison added 14 points on 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Illinois shot a blistering 57.1 percent from the floor in the first half, compared to just 40 percent for Dartmouth, as it carried a 39-27 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Illini cooled to 45.5 percent from the field after intermission, which allowed the Big Green to get to within five in the game's final minute, but Illinois closed it out by shooting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line over the final 23 seconds.
It was a relatively mistake-free contest, with Illinois committing just nine turnovers and Dartmouth only 10.