CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Leron Black scored 17 points and Kipper Nichols had 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench Sunday to lead Illinois past Marshall 91-74.
The Illini (4-0) opened up 23-point lead, 66-43, with 12 mintues left in the game on a jump shot by Nichols. The Thundering Herd (4-2) never threatened again.
The Illini held Marshall leading scorer Jon Elmore to 14 points. Elmore entered the game averaging 28.3 points. He was 2-of-11 shooting on the night, including 0 of 5 in the second half.
Jarrod West led Marshall with 22 points.
Mark Smith and Michael Finke added 13 each for Illinois.
The Illini used big advantages in bench scoring and rebounding to close out the Herd. The Illini outrebounded Marshall 45-20 and had 42 points off the bench to the Herd's 10.
Easy win aside, first-year Illinois coach Brad Underwood was clearly frustrated by his team's inconsistencies on both ends of the court.
"What am I seeing? What am I seeing?" he yelled to the scorer's table after one possession, following that up with an order to his team as they brought the ball back up the court. "I want to see a good shot down here! I want to see a little toughness!"
Bench points were again a big key for Illinois. For a second straight game, Nichols scored in double figures off the bench (he had 16 Friday in a win over DePaul) and Trent Frazier added 10.
UP NEXT: Illinois will host Augustana, a Division III school from Rock Island, Illinois, on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT.
TEAM NOTES
• Illinois is 4-0 for the second straight season.
• Brad Underwood won his first four games as Illinois' head coach. Underwood is 113-27 (.807) in his career as a head coach.
• Illinois committed only six turnovers. The Illini outscored Marshall in points off turnovers 32-6.
• Five Illini scored in double figures (17 Black, 17 Nichols, 13 Smith, 13 Finke, 10 Frazier).
• Illinois went on a 17-3 run in the first half over a 6:39 span (13:48-7:09).
• Illinois opened the second half on a 12-4 run in the first 4:08.
• Illinois held Marshall to 74 points after The Herd averaged 92.5 points per game entering today.
• Illinois outrebounded Marshall, 45-39, including 17 offensive rebounds.
• Illinois' bench outscored Marshall's bench, 42-10.
• Illinois is 96-126 (.762) from the free-throw line through the season's first four games.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Redshirt sophomore F Kipper Nichols had his first career double-double. He scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
• Redshirt junior F Leron Black scored in double figures for the third time this season, tying for the team-lead with 17 points. He was one rebound away from the first double-double of the season.
• Freshman G Trent Frazier scored 10 points, the first double-digit scoring game of his career.
• Freshman G Mark Smith scored in double figures for the third straight game. Smith was 1-of-1 shooting from the free-throw line to continue his perfect season from the line (20-20). Smith is the first freshman in the nation to make 20 free throws and shoot 100 percent from the line in his first four games since Trey Freeman (Campbell) went 28-28 in 2011-12.
• Redshirt junior F Michael Finke scored in double figures for the third time this season.
