Illini Cruise Past Nebraska on the Road, 76-50

Highlights | Photo Gallery | Box Score (PDF)

LINCOLN, Neb. – Illinois secured its first Big Ten road win of the season against Nebraska, taking down the Cornhuskers in an emphatic 76-50 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday night.

Five different Illini finished in double figures, and Illinois took advantage of a big second half, outscoring the Cornhuskers, 42-27, in the final 20 minutes of play, to cruise to victory in Lincoln.

The Illini shot 58.1 percent from the field in the second half, and they took advantage of turnovers and offensive rebounds, scoring 10 second-chance points and 10 points off turnovers in the final frame.

Illinois set the tone defensively early and maintained its energy throughout the contest, grabbing 12 steals and making seven blocks in the win. Dain Dainja led the way with three blocks, while Terrence Shannon Jr. tallied a team-high four steals. Sencire Harris registered a career-high three steals.

Shannon also dominated offensively, making a career-high 10 field goals en route to a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double, his second of the season and the fourth mark of his career.

Coleman Hawkins notched 12 points, nine of which came in the second half, his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring performance.

Jayden Epps registered seven of his 11 points in the final five minutes of play, going 5-of-6 from the field for his fifth-straight double-figure outing.

RJ Melendez and Matthew Mayer both recorded 10 points in the win.

The Illini defense caused the Cornhuskers problems early, holding Nebraska with a field goal until over four minutes into the contest. A 5-0 Illinois run propelled the visitors into a 5-2 lead early, and after falling behind two minutes later, the Illini used another scoring stretch to retake their advantage.

A 9-0 Illini run while holding the Cornhuskers without a basket for nearly five minutes pushed Illinois' lead to seven points. Trading buckets for the majority of the remainder of the half, the Illini used a 9-3 run to close the period and take a 34-23 lead into halftime.

Shannon scored in the paint and from behind the arc, leading all scorers with 17 first-half points. The Illinois came to play defensively, recording four blocks and six steals at the break. 

Illinois found a second gear on offense early in the second half. The Illini went on a 17-4 run, converting five straight shots, over a five-minute stretch to open up an 18-point lead. 

After Nebraska cut its deficit to 10 points with six minutes to play, Illinois halted the host's comeback attempt. The Illini closed the game on a 17-1 run and held the Cornhuskers without a field goal for the final six minutes of play to seal the 26-point victory.

Illinois (11-5, 2-3), now on a two-game winning streak in conference play, returns to State Farm Center on Friday night to take on red-hot Michigan State (12-4, 4-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT in Champaign.

HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• Illinois has won three-straight games in Lincoln for the first time in program history.
  • They have also won six-straight games against Nebraska overall and now lead the series 20-8.
• The Illini had five players score in double digits, the second time they have done so this season.
• The Illini held the Huskers to 23 first-half points, the sixth time this season they have held an opponent to 23 points or fewer in a half.
• Illinois forced more turnovers (10) in the first half than field goals allowed (9).
  • They went on to force a total of 17 turnovers in the game, scoring 16 points on those turnovers.
• The Illini blocked seven shots in tonight's game, their fourth-straight game with at least six blocks.
• Illinois out-rebounded Nebraska 41-33, including 13-9 on offensive rebounds.
  • The Illini scored 13 second-chance points.
• The Illini recorded 14 assists on their 28 field goals.
• The Illinois bench out-scored the Nebraska bench 25 to 20.

PLAYER NOTES

• Senior Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 25 points and also grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and the fourth of his career.
  • Shannon Jr. scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half.
  • He made a career-high 10 field goals, going 10-for-17 from the floor.
  • He has secured at least eight rebounds in two-straight, the second time this season he has had such a streak.
  • Shannon Jr. has 20-point scoring efforts in back-to-back contests.
• Junior Coleman Hawkins scored 12 points and dished out five assists.
  • Hawkins has double-digit scoring efforts in four-straight games, extending his season-high streak.
• Sophomore RJ Melendez scored 10 points off the bench.
  • Melendez went 2-for-6 behind the arc.
• Freshman Jayden Epps scored 11 points off of the bench on 5-for-6 shooting, his 11th double-digit scoring effort of the season and his fifth-straight such game, extending his season-high streak.
• Freshman Ty Rodgers scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds off of the bench.
  • It was his highest rebound total since the season opener.
• Sophomore Dain Dainja tallied seven rebounds, his fifth-straight game with at least six rebounds.