PHOENIX — Illinois outrebounded Grand Canyon by 26 and pulled away for an 83-71 win in front of 7,498 fans at GCU Arena. Kofi Cockburn had his second straight double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds and Andres Feliz had 21 points, including a team-high nine in the second half.Â
Illinois (2-0) worked the ball inside to Cockburn early and that opened up the rest of the floor. The Illini led by four at halftime and stretched it to 14 with a big run to start the second half.
Riding the energy from one of college basketball's best home crowds, Grand Canyon (0-2) kept it close in the first half and made a late run to cut the Illini's lead to four.
Illinois kept the Antelopes at arm's length from there to open a two-game trip to the desert with a win before facing No. 21 Arizona on Sunday.
Illinois scored 15 second-chance points on 20 offensive rebounds and had a 44-32 advantage in the paint.
Isiah Brown led Grand Canyon with 18 points and Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 14.
With 85% of their scoring back and a frenetic, turnover-producing defense, the Illini ratcheted up expectations entering their third season under Brad Underwood.
The Antelopes have their smallest team under Majerle, so it was no surprise they had trouble stopping Cockburn inside. The 7-foot Jamaican freshman powered his way past GCU defenders throughout the first half, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds by halftime.
When the Antelopes started closing in on Cockburn, Feliz took over, scoring 12 first-half points.
Grand Canyon kept pace from the 3-point arc, where it struggled in the opener. The Lopes made 5 of 9 in the first half -- they were 2 for 19 against Davenport -- to stay within 41-37 at halftime.
Illinois hit its first six shots to open the second half on a 15-4 run, pushing the lead to 56-41.
The Antelopes kept Illinois from running away with it, hanging around before trimming the lead to 71-67 with four minutes left.
UP NEXT: Illinois plays at No. 21 Arizona on Sunday.
Team Notes
- Illinois was +26 on the boards at GCU and is +56 combined in the first two games of the season (+30 vs. Nicholls).
- Illinois' 52 rebounds were tied for its second-most in a game in the last 12 seasons (since 2008-09), behind only 53 in this year's season opener against Nicholls State.
- Illinois is in The Grand Canyon State for a two-game road trip to wrap up the opening week of the season. The Illini arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday ahead of tonight's game at Grand Canyon. Illinois travels to Tucson on Saturday and will face No. 21 Arizona on Sunday night before returning to Champaign.
- Illinois is one of only two teams from the six major conferences to play two road games in the first week, and one of only three teams to play two of its first three games on the road.
Individual Notes
- Andres Feliz scored 21 points, his second straight game in double figures. Feliz has scored 44 points in the first two games, his most in a two-game stretch for the Illini. It is the fourth time in his career Feliz has scored 10+ in back-to-back games, after he had a double-double with 23 points and career-high 11 rebounds to lead the Illini to victory over Nicholls in Tuesday's opener.
- Kofi Cockburn had 23 points and 14 rebounds, his second straight double-double to open the season (10 points, 11 rebounds vs. Nicholls). Cockburn is the first Illini freshman to record double-doubles in the first two games in 37 years (Efrem Winters vs. Vandy and Texas A&M, 1982).
- Alan Griffin made a career-high three three-pointers.
