Box Score | Printable Box | Highlights | Coach Bollant Postgame Interview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois held Southern Illinois without a field goal for the final 11:52 of the first half and used a 39-6 run to pull out to a to a 42-point halftime lead and cruise to an 86-42 win at SIU Arena on Saturday. Ivory Crawford posted a double-double in the first half and finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Chatrice White added 21 points to help the Fighting Illini to their biggest margin of victory on the road since 1997 and to a 7-2 season record.

"We went to the buzz in the first half and we turned turnovers into layups," Illini head coach Matt Bollant said. "I thought we did a really good job of running, making the easy pass and giving up the ball at the right time. I thought Amarah (Coleman) and Taylor (Tuck) both gave us a lift in that first half. I'm just really proud of our competitiveness and how we put the game away early.

"Against Virginia, it looked like Chatrice really didn't have her legs but today you could tell she had her legs back under her, which was great. It's really fun to see her play so well. And Ivory has been really special. She had 18 points and 11 rebounds in the first half. Those are great numbers for a whole game and she did that in a half."

Crawford and White both finished 9-of-14 from the field, while Crawford grabbed 11 boards, made three staels and had three assists. White had five rebounds and four blocks, and both players logged just 25 minutes. Brittany Carter was the lone other Illini in double figures with 10 points and she added five boards, three steals and two assists.

All 13 Illinois players who saw action scored and 12 of the 13 grabbed at least one rebound. The Illini shot 58.5 percent in the first half and finished at 50.7 percent (36-of-71) for the game, making 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point range. Illinois finished with 16 assists and only nine turnovers, while forcing SIU into 21 turnovers and allowing only four Saluki assists.

Illinois out-scored SIU 52-26 in the paint and 32-4 off turnovers, using 17 steals to convert 21 SIU turnovers into 32 points. The Illini also posted a season-high 22 fast-break points and led by as many as 45.

Illinois held SIU scoreless for the first 4:47, pulling out to a 7-0 lead. After Rishonda Napier hit a trey to get the Salukis on the board, the Illini scored the next nine points to go up 16-3. SIU pulled within 18-9 after a Napier jumper at 11:52 but Illinois switched to its Buzz defense and caused havoc the rest of the half.

The Salukis went scoreless for the next 5:01 as Illinois went on a 17-0 run, including five Saluki turnovers - three of which were turned into layups on the other end. The Illini SIU hit two free throws before the Illini scored the next 16 points to go up 54-11 with less than a minute left in the half.

White drained a trey with nine seconds left but Napier knocked in a long three-pointer at the buzzer to make the Illini's halftime lead 57-15. It marked Illinois' most points in a half since scoring 60 against Alcorn State on Nov. 17, 2013.

The Orange and Blue cruised through the second half, with the starters playing only a handful of minutes after halftime. SIU never got closer than 37 points the rest of the way and Illinois closed out the 86-42 win.

The Illini return to action on Tuesday, heading to Seton Hall for a 6 p.m. tip that will be streamed on the Big East Digital Network.