CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Just when it appeared No. 22 Illinois had gone quiet, reserve guard Joseph Bertrand made some noise.

The redshirt junior hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions and scored every point in a 10-0 run to ignite the Illini to a 75-62 victory over Georgia Tech on Wednesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Illinois (8-0) rallied late behind Bertrand, whose one-man show lifted the Illini from a 58-54 deficit late in the second half. They finished the game on a 21-4 run over the final 7:15.

"Until you get to know him, Joe sometimes comes off like a quiet guy, but he's got some big-time energy," Illinois coach John Groce said. "I very rarely will watch practice film or game film and say, 'Bertrand isn't playing hard.' "

Bertrand scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half as the surprising Illini kept up their early-season run.

After missing his first season with a knee injury, Bertrand relied upon his athleticism to get to the basket and create scoring opportunities for himself during the past two years. By concentrating on his perimeter game during individual practice sessions over the summer, he's become tougher to guard.

"It's really helped my confidence," Bertrand said. "I'm looking to shoot them more this year. I was driving more last year. I'm looking to do both."

Bertrand was 6 of 8 from the floor while going 3 of 4 behind the 3-point line.

"He brings a lot of energy off the bench," Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory said. "He's a great athlete. He's just streaky enough to be dangerous."

Illinois guard Brandon Paul also scored 15 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists. Tyler Griffey and D.J. Richardson had 14 points apiece.

After losing 12 of its last 14 games last season, Illinois is off to a strong start under Groce, who became the only coach since World War II to start his Illini career with eight straight wins.