CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Jalen Coleman-Lands and Maverick Morgan scored 18 points apiece to lead six players in double figures and Illinois beat Division II McKendree 112-65 on Tuesday night at State Farm Center. The Fighting Illini tied a school record by hitting 16 three-pointers, matching the total in from Illinois' NCAA Regional Final win over Arizona on March 26, 2005.Â
Michael Finke had 17 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, and eight rebounds and Tracy Abrams was 5-of-5 from the field with four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and six assists. Aaron Jordan scored 11, including three 3s, and Mike Thorne Jr. had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Illinois (3-0) opened the game with a 7-0 run, including five points by Finke, and never trailed.
Coleman-Lands hit 3-pointers on three-consecutive possessions to make it 21-10 with 12:28 left in the first half and the Illini led by double figures the rest of the way.
The Illinois bench outscored McKendree's reserves 59-23 and shot 56 percent from the field, including 16 of 28 (57 percent) from 3-point range. The Illini dished out 28 assists against just six turnovers. Jaylon Tate had eight assists and zero turnovers, while Abrams and freshman Te'Jon Lucas each assisted on six baskets.Â
Nate Michael, son of former Illinois basketball player Tom Michael, led the McKendree (1-0) with 25 points. The game served as an exhibition for Bearcats.
Illinois hosts Detroit on Friday night, Nov. 18, as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament (7 p.m. CT on ESPN3).
ILLINOIS GAME NOTES
1.      Illinois improved its season record to 3-0 on Tuesday night, the fourth time in head coach John Groce's five seasons and the 16th time in the last 17 years the Fighting Illini have started the season with three wins.
2.      The Illini scored 112 points, the second-best total of the John Groce era, behind only the 114 scored against Coppin State on Nov. 16, 2014.
3.      Illinois recorded 28 assists, the most under John Groce and the team's best mark since dishing out 28 against Michigan on Jan. 12, 2002. Senior Jaylon Tate led the way with a game-high eight assists along with zero turnovers.Â
4.      The Illini's 55 points in the first half are the most points scored in the first half since the Illini scored 59 against Coppin State on Nov. 16, 2014.
5.      Illinois made 16 3-pointers in the game, setting a new program State Farm Center record and tying the Illinois team record set against Arizona on March 26, 2005
6.      Six Illini scored in double figures, as Jalen Coleman-Lands and Maverick Morgan led the Orange and Blue with 18, followed by Michael Finke (17), Tracy Abrams (14), Aaron Jordan (11) and Mike Thorne, Jr. (10)
7.      More than half of Illinois' 112 points came from the bench (59), as they nearly outscored McKendree which scored 65.
8.      Illinois shot 69.2 percent from behind the arc in the first half (9-of-13), the team's best mark in a half since shooting 9-of-15 in the first half against South Dakota on Dec. 19, 2015
9.      Coleman-Lands tied his career-high with six 3-pointers (on nine attempts). He went 6-of-14 last year against Rutgers.
10.  Recording his third career double-double, Mike Thorne, Jr. had 10 rebounds to go with his 10 points.
11.  Tracy Abrams hit a career-high four 3-pointers and finished 5-of-5 from the field, his first game without missing a shot (minimum two attempts).Â
12.  Shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc, Aaron Jordan tied his career-best in 3-point baskets, matching his total against North Florida on Nov. 13, 2015.
13.  Finke finished shooting 80 percent (8-of-10) from the field, a career-best shooting percentage with at least two attempts.
14.  D.J. Williams' nine points are a career high.
