Notre Dame vs. Illinois: Score and Reaction from Big 10/ACC Challenge

Notre Dame overcame a hot Illinois start to defeat the Fighting Illini, 84-79, on Wednesday night in the Big 10/ACC Challenge. 

Climbing back from an eight-point halftime deficit, Notre Dame outscored Illinois 50-36 in the second half to seal the win. 

The Irish were led by the career-high 21 points from Steve Vasturia and another 21 by Demetrius Jackson. Jackson scored 17 of his 21 in the second half.   

Adding support was the consistent Zach Auguste, a forward who recorded his fifth double-double in six games. With Illinois missing injured center Mike Thorne Jr., Auguste went to town, recording 16 points and 13 rebounds.

But the Irish's win looked in doubt after the game's first 20 minutes. 

Illinois fed off an emotional night in which it dedicated the court at the State Farm Center to former head coach Lou Henson, who led the Illini from 1975-1996. 

And the Illinois community turned out for him:

It was a hotly contested affair from the get-go, as Notre Dame began the game shooting over 60 percent from the field. Yet it still had to play catch-up after Illinois grabbed a 21-15 lead. A 10-2 run brought the Irish back in it, led by Vasturia's 11 first-half points.

He was feeling it from all over the court, as ESPN highlights (via B/R Notre Dame):

Once Notre Dame cooled off, Illinois pounced.

The Fighting Illini went on an 11-3 run to end the half, heading into the break leading 41-33. Their scoring was far more distributed, with three players—Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn and Khalid Lewis—each having seven points, while Illinois hit exactly half of its shots. Hill led the team with 19 points on the night.

Yahoo's Brad Evans was happy with Illinois' effort through 20 minutes:

Notre Dame found an answer in the second half, taking advantage of an Illinois sluggish restart. The Irish went on a 7-0 run to get right back in the game and took a one-point lead five-and-a-half minutes into the second.

Illinois was ice-cold, starting the second half 2-of-17 from the field as Notre Dame went off, going on another run, this time 12-3. Jackson was anchoring the Irish in the second half, while Auguste remained consistent, working the ball down low.

SLAM's Eli Schwadron had a feeling Auguste was going to have a nice night against Illinois:

Vasturia continued to light Illinois up as well, allowing Notre Dame to keep the Illini at a safe distance for the remainder of the game. Campus Insiders' Jordan Cornette sees big things for the guard:

Coming into Wednesday night, Notre Dame had lost two of its last three, dropping games to Monmouth and Alabama. While Illinois looks to be a team that is going to struggle this season, getting back on the winning track is vital with two mid-major games coming up against Stony Brook and Loyola Chicago.

It'll need all the positives it can get because it has Indiana waiting for it after that two-game stretch. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.