CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Georgia Southern gave Illinois all it could handle in the 2014-15 Men's Basketball season opener for both squads. The Eagles were level with the Illini at halftime, but saw a pair of big runs put the home side ahead for good. Next up for the Eagles is the home opener on Tuesday night against Trinity College. Tipoff against the Tigers is set for 7:30 p.m. inside Hanner Fieldhouse.

"I'm proud of our guys' effort tonight and this starts a long season," said Head Coach Mark Byington. "I know John (Groce) as well as we had some nervous guys make some nervous mistakes early and that is going to happen. I like that our guys battled through mistakes and played well tonight. Overall I was happy with our guys out-rebounding Illinois, but we gave up too many turnovers for points."

Jelani Hewitt led the Eagles in scoring with 22 points as he opened his final season in convincing fashion. Making the move to point guard, Hewitt continued his high scoring output which led the Southern Conference last season with 19.4 ppg. He made a pair of free throws with 4:29 left which cut the Illinois lead to just three as the game entered its final phase. A 9-3 run, however, put the lead back to nine with less than two minutes remaining.

Hewitt also contributed on the glass with eight rebounds as the undersized Eagles out-rebounded their Big Ten foe 41-34. The senior also added a career-high eight rebounds on the night. Hewitt was potent form downtown, making 5-of-14 from the bonusphere in 38 minutes of action.

Senior big man Trent Wiedeman played his first competitive game in nearly two years, returning to form with 17 points and nine rebounds. The forward played 33 minutes in his first contest for the Eagles after transferring from College of Charleston.

Angel Matias scored 12 points with seven rebounds to help the cause on the glass. The senior, however, was one of four Eagles to finish the night with four fouls as the Eagles sent Illinois to the free throw line 34 times on 27 fouls. Georgia Southern was plagued by turnovers, committing 16 after averaging 11.9 a year ago. Illinois converted those turnovers for 22 points.

Rayvonte Rice carried the torch for Illinois with 24 points and six rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown. Three other Illini players finished in double figures with Aaron Cosby (16), Malcom Hill (11), and Ahmad Starks (10) contributing big points from the starting lineup.

The Eagles trailed by 11 points in the first half, but rallied with an 11-2 run to keep the game close. The first half finished with the teams level at 31-31.

Out of the break, four early points by Wiedeman gave the Eagles a lead, but a 13-2 run by Illinois gave the home side some breathing room again. Georgia Southern answered the bell again, cutting the lead to three points on a pair of free throws from Jelani Hewitt with 4:29 remaining. A 9-3 run, however, put Illinois up by nine with 1:55 remaining.

Next up for Georgia Southern is a Tuesday night tilt against Trinity College to close a doubleheader at Hanner Fieldhouse. The Men's Basketball contest starts at 7:30 p.m. with the Women's Basketball team battling Jacksonville at 5 p.m.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets call 1-800-GSU-WINS.