CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois never trailed en route to an 84-52 victory over Western Illinois at State Farm Center on Friday night. In the team's final contest of a six-game homestand to open the season, the Fighting Illini saw nine different players get on the scoresheet ahead of the start of Big Ten play next week.
Terrence Shannon Jr. registered a team-high 19 points, including a season-high six 3-pointers. Shannon, who also tallied a steal and a block, has led the team in scoring in five consecutive games, and he has finished in double figures in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Dain Dainja recorded 16 points, his third straight outing in double figures, and he shot 70% from the field and grabbed eight rebounds.
Quincy Guerrier put together his second double-double of the season, notching 10 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. Guerrier's 15 boards are his most since 2020, and his team-high four blocks are his highest total in over two seasons.
Ty Rodgers ended his outing with nine points, four rebounds, and a team-high four assists. Marcus Domask finished with eight points, four rebounds, and a block.
Luke Goode knocked down three 3-pointers, all of which came in the first half, to extend his streak of games with at least three triples to four contests. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn amassed nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
The Illini shot 47% from the field and drained 10 3-pointers, the team's third outing with double-digit treys this season.
Establishing their presence on the glass early and often, the Orange and Blue out-rebounded the Leathernecks, 54-38, and scored 23 second-chance points on 16 offensive boards. Illinois also notched five steals and a season-high nine blocks.
"I've been really pleased with this group, and I've been really pleased with the improvements we've made," said head coach Brad Underwood. "Now, it's what we really play for: those league games and putting ourselves in a position to go win."
Guerrier set the tone defensively within the first 15 seconds of play, tallying his first of three first-half blocks on the opening possession of the night before grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting a layup to begin the scoring on the other end.
Hitting seven of their first 10 shots and holding the Leathernecks without a basket for nearly four minutes, the Fighting Illini opened up a 15-6 lead through the first eight minutes of action. An 8-0 run that included two 3-pointers from Goode on back-to-back possessions forced the visitors to burn an early timeout with the home side leading by double digits.
After Western Illinois cut its deficit to five points, Illinois pieced together a 6-0 run to reestablish a double-digit advantage, pulling ahead, 27-16, with less than eight minutes to play.Â
Holding the Leathernecks to only one field goal through the final seven minutes of the first half, the Orange and Blue took a 40-23 advantage into the break. The Illini had eight different players register points in the opening period of play, while they held the Leathernecks to just 22% from the field prior to halftime.
Illinois began the second half with a 4-0 run, pushing the Illini's advantage to 21 points. Shannon's third 3-pointer of the night two minutes later kept the Orange and Blue rolling before a stretch of consecutive treys from Shannon over the span of 33 seconds fueled a 10-1 run for the home side.
Western Illinois cut its deficit to 17 points with under eight minutes to play, but Illinois used a 10-0 run to pull away and take a 27-point advantage. During that stretch, Dainja jumped on the floor for a loose ball, somehow finding Rodgers, who found Justin Harmon, before Shannon drew one of the largest ovations of the night with his sixth triple, which he banked in off the glass.
A 6-0 scoring streak for the Orange and Blue, capped off by Gibbs-Lawhorn's first triple since the team's season opener, boosted the hosts' lead to 80-49 with under four minutes to play. Holding the Leathernecks scoreless over the finals three minutes of play, the Illini secured a 32-point win, their largest margin of victory thus far this season.
Illinois (5-1) heads east for its Big Ten opener next weekend, taking on Rutgers away from home on Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network.
Highlights
Press Conference
Postgame Notes
PLAYER NOTES
- Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a team-high 19 points, going 6-for-8 from behind the arc.
- Has now scored at least 15 points in each of his first six games of the season.
- Has scored in double figures in each of his last 16 games, a streak that began Jan. 31, 2023.
- Made a season-high six 3-pointers, the most by an Illini since Coleman Hawkins knocked down six vs. Wisconsin on Jan. 7, 2023
- Has made at least three 3-pointers in four of six games this season.
- Was a +24 in 26 minutes of action.
- Dain Dainja scored 16 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.
- Has posted three straight double-digit scoring efforts.
- Went 7-for-10 from the floor.
- Luke Goode scored nine points, going 3-for-7 from deep.
- Has made at least three 3-pointers in four straight games and in five of six contests overall.
- Quincy Guerrier scored 10 points and secured a game-high 15 rebounds.
- Turned in his second double-double of the season.
- Grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, the most by an Illini since Dain Dainja also recorded 15 vs. Kansas City on Nov. 11, 2022
- Has secured at least 10 rebounds three times this season.
- Had a season-high four blocks.
TEAM NOTES
- Have scored at least 40 points in four straight halves of play.
- At least nine different Illini scored for the second straight game.
- Eight different Illini scored in the first half.
- Illinois outrebounded Western Illinois, 54-38.
- Have won the rebounding battle in all six games this season.
- Scored 23 second-chance points on 16 offensive boards.
- The 16 offensive rebounds and 23 second-chance points are season-high marks.
- Have grabbed at least 50 rebounds in three straight games for the first time since Dec. 10-18, 1993.
- Have four games this season with at least 50 rebounds, the most since also having four such contests during the 2021-22 campaign.
- The Illini scored 14 points off of 10 Leatherneck turnovers.
- Illinois held a 44-26 advantage in points in the paint.
- The Illini have scored at least 40 points in the paint in three straight games and in four games overall this season.
- Shot a season-high 40%Â (10-25) from 3-point territory.
- Made at least 10 3-pointers for the third time this season.
- Illinois recorded a season-high nine blocks, with six different Illini having a rejection.
Quotes
Opening statement:
"Really good start tonight. Hats off to Dain Dainja. In my opinion, he was the player of the game. His presence, rim-running, and I thought he really controlled the paint. You partner him with Quincy and his 15 rebounds.Â
"It was kind of a unique night for Terrence. I don't think he had a point in the paint, and yet he was still equally as productive. Things change for us when Dain's putting pressure on the front of the rim with his speed and his running. Amani has always been very good at that. Even though Amani's line doesn't show a big night, his presence at the front of the rim opens things up.Â
"I thought Ty Rodgers was fantastic, especially early. He was just getting the ball into the paint. We knew this team collapsed very hard, and our kickouts and spreading the ball were great.Â
"Luke got going. He's one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. Our guys are starting to understand and look for him. Justin Harmon, I thought, came in and was really solid, especially on the defensive side, which is what we need.
"(Western Illinois head coach Chad Boudreau) has a nice group. They're athletic. I thought we were a little soft at times in terms of rebounding the basketball. We had a couple balls knocked out of our hands, but we did what we had to. We got off to a great start and controlled things from there."
On his assessment of the team after the Illini's six-game homestand to begin the season:
"I go back to the two exhibitions. I think we found a really nice balance of great competition. Obviously, Kansas was one and Marquette, and then you've found some games where you can get guys minutes, and you could work combinations. Maybe you're not overly stressed about the outcome, but how you get to it and find those things out.Â
"I've been really pleased with this group, and I've been really pleased with the improvements we've made. Now, it's what we really play for: those league games and putting ourselves in a position to go win."
On what he views his role to be on the Illini:
"It's really just to play with a high motor, be a leader, crash the boards, play defensively, and communicate. I think I really had a good game today defensively."
On his excitement to begin Big Ten play after playing in the ACC and Pac-12:
"I've always heard that the Big Ten is the best conference, so I'm really excited that I'm finally playing for Illinois after all these years. I'm just excited to get it started against Rutgers."
On what he has learned thus far this season:
"I think it's just being a bigger leader and always communicating when the ball is not in my hand. I'm just trying to get everybody involved, uplift everybody, and have confidence and belief in everybody on the floor."
On the keys to the team's fast start:
"I think just getting out in transition and running. After a miss or a make, we were getting it out and getting it to our wings. We were trying to get to the basket. I think that energy we had coming out, we need that at every game."
