LEROY — Despite an eight-point halftime lead, the Illineks couldn’t hold on in the second half, falling to host LeRoy 56-45 Tuesday night in their first loss of the season.

Junior Dan Lilly once again led Uni in scoring, this time with 18 points. Lilly added two assists, two steals, and two three-pointers. He has led or co-led the Illineks in scoring in all of their games this season.

LeRoy took an early lead in a first quarter dominated by defense. The teams put up only 16 points between them as LeRoy took an 11-5 lead.

Uni came roaring back in the second quarter, exploding for 26 points and a 31-23 halftime advantage. The Illineks scored more points in the quarter than they did in the other three quarters combined.

The Panthers took control of the game after the second half began. Uni’s offense struggled, as the visitors could only manage six and eight points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

Lilly was the only Illinek to score in double figures — the fourth time in five games that has occurred. Sophomore Warren Skoza led the Illineks in rebounds, pulling in six boards and blocking two shots.

Senior Malcolm Taylor had eight points and two assists.

The win was LeRoy’s first on the season, improving the Panthers' record to 1-3. The Illineks fell to 4-1 overall, with a 1-0 ECIC mark.

The Illineks will host Shiloh in a rematch Friday night at Kenney Gym. Uni narrowly defeated the Raiders in the Nov. 24 season opener, winning 49-48 on a last-second drive to the basket by Lilly.

UNI VS. LEROY AT A GLANCE

Game Summary

• Uni: 05 26 06 08 — 45
• LeR: 11 12 19 14 — 56

Individual Stats

• Dan Lilly: 18 pts (3-2-6), 2 rebs, 2 assts, 2 stls
• Malcolm Taylor: 8 pts (3-0-2), 2 assts, 2 stls
• Costa Cangellaris: 6 pts (0-2-0), 1 reb
• Neil Pearson: 5 pts (1-1-0), 1 reb
• Will Fernandez: 4 pts (1-0-2), 1 reb
• Alan Kessler: 2 pts (0-0-2), 2 rebs
• Warren Skoza: 2 pts (0-0-2), 6 rebs, 2 blks, 1 stl
• Miles Bribriesco: 0 pts, 1 reb
• Nile Hamer: 0 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl

Team Totals (Shiloh in parentheses)

• Points: 45 (56)
• Two-pointers made: 8 (10)
• Three-pointers made: 5 (8)
• Free throws made: 14 (12)
• Rebounds: 15 (not available)
• Assists: 4 (n/a)
• Blocks: 3 (n/a)
• Steals: 6 (n/a)