Oct. 31, 2007

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Champaign, Ill. - Illinois defeated Quincy 82-61 in an exhibition game Wednesday night at the Assembly Hall. Illinois jumped out to an early 23-5 lead and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the night. The Illini led 48-16 at halftime and led by as many as 36 points before settling for the final 21-point margin.

Coach Bruce Weber dedicated the majority of the minutes in tonight's exhibition game to the newcomers to get a stronger look at them heading into the regular season. Weber withheld senior Shaun Pruitt and junior Calvin Brock, and only played senior Brian Randle in the first half. Junior Chester Frazier, meanwhile, missed the game due to a sprained thumb.

Illinois had 11 players enter the scoring column, while four reached double figures. Freshman forward Mike Davis scored a team-leading 13 points on 6-8 shooting while just missing a double-double, finishing with a game-high nine rebounds. Fellow freshman Bill Cole had 11 points and eight boards, while junior guards Trent Meacham and Steve Holdren added 11 points apiece.

Illinois shot 47 percent from the field (31-66) while holding Quincy to 30.5 percent shooting (18-59). The Illini shot 50 percent from 3-point range, knocking down 9-18 treys, and dominated Quincy on the boards with a 51-33 advantage.

Illinois returns to the Assembly Hall next Tuesday, Nov. 6 for its final exhibition game vs. Kentucky Wesleyan. That game is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be televised by the Big Ten Network.