First, let's reiterate that Illinois was nearly a 40 percent 3-point shooting team coming into this afternoon's Battle In Seattle in KeyArena.
So their 12-for-23 3-point barrage in the second half this afternoon wasn't exactly luck.
But it was definitely overwhelming and quickly turned a six point halftime game into an insurmountable double-digit lead en route to a 73-61 loss for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
And the fact that Gonzaga was not able to hit anything from beyond the arc until halfway through the second half didn't exactly help either - although Gonzaga center Robert Sacre finished with game-highs with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Illinois had no problem crowding the lane to clog up the middle of the court with nothing falling for Gonzaga from the outside.
Bulldogs forward Elias Harris finished with 12 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Mike Tisdale and D.J. Richardson tied Sacre for a game-high 15 points apiece.