Illinois Takes Care Of Business With 88-60 Win

Dominating the lane from start to finish, the Fighting Illini recorded 62 points in the paint, their most since 2019. The Orange and Blue scored a season-high 88 points,shooting a season-best 57.1% from the field.

Terrence Shannon Jr. marked his third straight game with at least 20 points with a season-high 24, while he also tallied a team-high four assists, one block, and one steal.

Dain Dainja scored all of his 12 points in the first half, 10 of which came within the first six minutes of the game. Dainja also grabbed four rebounds.

Quincy Guerrier also finished in double figures with 10 points, his second outing in double digits this season. He also registered six rebounds.

Luke Goode knocked down three 3-pointers, all of which came in the second half, for his third straight game with at least three treys. Goode also finished with seven rebounds.
Justin Harmon ended his night with a season-high nine points, and both of his rebounds came on the offensive glass.

Amani Hansberry amassed a career-high eight points, and he made his presence felt in the paint all night with seven rebounds and a team-high two steals.

The Illini out-rebounded the Jaguars, 50-17, led by nine boards from Marcus Domask. Illinois scored 18 points off its 15 offensive rebounds, and they registered 18 assists on 36 field goals.

The Illini took an early 10-6 advantage after Dainja accounted for the team's first eight points of the night. Dainja ultimately climbed into double digits within the first six minutes of play, as the Illini center and Guerrier combined for the team's first 14 points.

With the Orange and Blue ahead by four halfway through the opening period following back-to-back makes from Niccolo Moretti, Illinois took over. The Illini used a 17-0 run over a five-minute stretch late in the frame to take a 45-24 lead. Shannon accounted for 11 straight points during that time, including two and-1 buckets, and five consecutive makes helped extend the home side's edge.

Illinois eventually took a 45-27 advantage into the break. Shannon led all scorers with 17 first-half points, while Dainja tallied 12 points in his 11 minutes of first-half action. All 45 points came either in the paint (36) or from the free-throw line (9), while the Illini forced nine turnovers and led the rebounding margin, 26-9, through 20 minutes of action

Guerrier opened the second half with an emphatic dunk, which set the tone for the rest of the period. The Illini began the frame with a 10-1 run over the span of five minutes, a stretch that ended with a Justin Harmon triple and saw the hosts' lead grow to 27.

Illinois held Southern without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the half, as the Orange and Blue's run to begin the half climbed to 14-2. After the Jaguars went on a 7-0 run to cut into their 30-point deficit, back-to-back Goode triples put the Illini ahead, 65-36, with just over 10 minutes to play and jump-started a 10-0 Illinois run.

Five minutes later, buckets from Hansberry and Harmon fueled a 6-0 run in 99 seconds of action, with Harmon's bucket bringing him to a season-high nine points and Hansberry's baskets pushing his output to a career-high eight points.

With the Illini's lead climbing as high as 34 points, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn's acrobatic layup late in the game capped off a 28-point home win and moved the Illini's record to 4-1 on the season.

Illinois will return to State Farm Center on Friday to take on Western Illinois to close out its six-game homestand. The contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.