Thompkins leads Georgia past Illinois 70-67 to recover from 34-point loss to Illini last year

Thompkins leads Georgia past Illinois 70-67

DULUTH, Ga. — Trey Thompkins hit four straight free throw attempts in the final 22.2 seconds to finish with 21 points and help Georgia beat Illinois 70-67 on Saturday night.

The Illini (8-3) never led in the second half until Demetri McCamey’s three-point play with 35.6 seconds remaining made it 67-66.

Illinois had won four straight.

Georgia (5-4), which stopped a two-game slide, committed 27 turnovers last year during a 34-point loss to Illinois in Chicago. The Bulldogs improved to 1-5 against the Illini.

McCamey scored 21 for Illinois, but he missed a runner with 6.6 seconds left and failed to hit the rim on a 25-foot 3-point attempt from the right side as time expired.