Guard Eric Robertson had 15 points, and forwards Justin Tuoyo and Chuck Ester added 12 apiece as visiting Chattanooga upended reeling Illinois 81-77 Saturday night at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill.

Robertson scored all of his points via 3-pointers as the Mocs (3-0) hit 12-of-30 from long range to beat their second major-conference opponent this season. Chattanooga, which also received 10 points apiece from guard Greg Pryor and forward Duke Ethridge, won at Georgia 92-90 in overtime to open the season and is now 3-0 for the first time since 1997.

Guard Malcolm Hill scored a game-high 25 points, and center Mike Thorne Jr. added 18 and 11 rebounds for Illinois, which is 1-3 for the first time since 1965. The Illini shot 51.7 percent from the field but hit only 4-of-13 3-pointers had 16 turnovers against the Chattanooga press.

The Illini also played its third straight game without junior point guard Jaylon Tate, who underwent surgery for a dislocated finger last week.

Illinois trailed 39-32 at intermission – its fourth halftime deficit in four games – and then fell behind 47-35 after Mocs guard Casey Jones hit a jumper with 17:48 remaining. The Illini, though, heated up and reeled off a 22-8 run over the ensuing six minutes, taking their first lead with center Maverick Morgan's jumper with 11:31 to play.

Thorne and Hill then combined to score the next 12 points for Illinois, which took its largest lead at 69-60 with 6:26 remaining. However, the visitors found their range again from beyond the arc, hitting five 3-pointers over the next 4:30 to pull back in front 79-74 with 1:04 left.

Forward Michael Finke countered with a 3-pointer to pull the Illini to within 79-77 but was off on a second long-range attempt following a Florida A&M turnover, and guard Tre' McLean hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Chattanooga jumped out to a quick lead 11-2 lead and pushed its advantage to double digits on Ester's jumper 5:47 into the contest. After the visitors took their largest lead at 29-14 with 9:52 left before the break, Illinois started to solve the press and climbed back to within 39-32 at the half.