Champaign, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Malcolm Hill posted 13 points as a balanced No. 24 Illinois used a first-half surge to dispatch American, 70-55, on Saturday. Rayvonte Rice contributed 10 points for the Illini (7-1), with Jaylon Tate and Maverick Morgan totaling eight apiece. Illinois, which rebounded from a loss to Miami-Florida last Tuesday, hosts Villanova this coming Tuesday. Pee Wee Gardner picked up a game-high 16 points for the Eagles (5-4). Jesse Reed had 13 points and John Schoof poured in 12. American had won its previous two contests and will rest until a Dec. 16 matchup with La Salle in Philadelphia. A 17-2 run beginning just prior to the midway point of the first half and burning almost eight minutes off the clock turned a two-point game into a 17- point spread for the hosts. Reeds triple to pull American within 13-11 was countered by two free throws and a layup by Rice. A short time later, Nnanna Egwu hit a triple and a deuce around an Ahmad Starks bucket, then Morgan connected twice in a row and Illinois assumed a 30-13 edge with 2:57 left in the first half. Hills jumper with more than a minute left provided the halftime margin for the hosts at 32-19. Gardner scored five in a row to close Americans gap from 13 points down to 42-34 with 10:42 to play, but Illinois gained greater separation with eight in a row from there, ending on two from the line by Aaron Cosby for a 50-34 contest just over two minutes later. Tates free throw gave the Illini their largest lead of the contest at 64-44 with 3:22 to play and the Eagles were not able to come closer than 14 points the rest of the way. Game Notes Illinois converted 19 of its 21 free-throw attempts to counter a 47.9-percent (23-of-48) performance from the field ... Egwu pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and blocked a game-high three shots ... The Eagles shot 61 percent from the floor in the second half and 50 percent (21-of-42) overall in defeat ...Americans Zach Elcano committed a game-high six of his teams 19 turnovers. Stitched Cardinals Jerseys . - The situation looked bleak at best for the coach Doc Rivers Clippers — down by four points with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cheap Cardinals Jerseys . A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. As a result of missing the coming season, hes also out $25 million (which coincidentally is my hourly rate). https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/204...-cardinals.html. - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. Roger Maris Cardinals Jersey . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Ted Simmons Cardinals Jersey . Still, Encarnacion felt a sense of relief. He felt a pop just before crumpling to the ground after running out a groundball in the first inning of Saturdays game. It could have been worse. “Its going to take maybe two weeks,” said Encarnacion. “It depends how Im going to be and how Im going to be day after day, feeling better or not.MANCHESTER, England - Manchester United striker Robin van Persie will undergo a second scan to determine the nature and extent of the knee injury he sustained in the win over Olympiakos in the Champions League. Van Persie was carried off on a stretcher after hurting his knee in a challenge toward the end of Wednesdays 3-0 victory, in whichh he scored a hat trick to send his team into the quarter-finals.dddddddddddd. United manager David Moyes said on Friday that Van Persie was being rescanned because "there was nothing conclusive" in the first test. Moyes said the Netherlands international will miss Saturdays Premier League game against West Ham. ' ' '