Highlights | Press Conference | Photo Gallery | Box Score (PDF)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --Â Illinois used a 19-0 second-half scoring run to take down No. 24 Rutgers, 69-60, at State Farm Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Illini outscored the visiting Scarlet Knights, 39-26, in the second half en route to the nine-point ranked victory, the team's fourth win over an AP Top-25 opponent this season.
Coleman Hawkins got hot early in the second half, scoring 11 of his team-high 18 points in the first eight minutes of the frame. Five of Hawkins' eight rebounds came on the offensive glass, while he registered a team-high four assists and one block and his eight made field goals matched a career-high.
Dain Dainja made his presence felt in the paint all afternoon, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, one block, and one steal. Dainja scored 11 of those points in the first half but continued to impact the game on both ends in his 13 second-half minutes.
Matthew Mayer ended the afternoon with eight points and eight rebounds, while Sencire Harris knocked down his two shots and scored five points off the bench.
After a quiet first half, Terrence Shannon Jr. notched 13 second-half points en route to a 15-point outing, his third straight outing in double figures. Shannon recorded a team-best three blocks, which also marked a new career-high for the Chicago native.
The Illini opened the game with lots of energy, with Dainja and Hawkins scoring on the team's first two possessions of the afternoon to fuel a quick 4-0 run.
Illinois trailed by eight with just under six minutes to play, but a 7-0 Illini run that was bookended by Dainja baskets and included a transition 3-pointer from Harris to cut that deficit to one with three minutes left on the clock in the first half.
Led by 11 points from Dainja, the Illini trailed by four, 34-30, at the break. Hawkins registered seven points through 20 minutes, while Illinois scored 22 of its first-half points in the paint.
After the two sides traded baskets to open the frame, the Illini used a scoring run with 12 minutes to play to take its first lead since the opening two minutes of the game and send the State Farm Center crowd into a frenzy. Hawkins was a big reason behind this offensive surge, accounting for 11 of the team's first 18 points of the second half.
Illinois used a 19-0 run and baskets from five different scorers over a 10-minute stretch to turn what was once a six-point deficit into a 13-point lead with just over seven minutes to play. The Illini held the Scarlet Knights without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes of play and made two blocks and two steals and forced four turnovers during that stretch.
Shannon scored the Illini's final five points of the contest to get Illinois back in the win column.
Illinois (17-7, 8-5) travels to take on Penn State (14-11, 5-9) in its next game. Tipoff is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
QUOTES
Brad Underwood
Opening statement:
"Started a little rusty. I just kind of felt really good at half, to be very honest, with Terrence and Matt with one field goal between him and only down four. Then, to be down 15-4 on the glass to start the game, that was disappointing because we spend a lot of time talking about their rebounding. They need that rebounding, and we weren't very effective doing that.
"I thought the last eight minutes, we were really good.We got our way back into the game. We found a little run. It came from our bench. Sencire hit a three to kind of crack the seal. Very seldom in this league do you have a 19-0 run and hold a team without one for 11 minutes. I thought our defense was terrific. I thought our shot-blocking impacted the game at the rim. I thought that Ty Rodgers, Sencire, and that group when there were a lot of freshmen on the floor. It was our small lineup. Coleman Hawkins, he was guarding everybody from Mulcahy to Cliff today. I thought that group was outstanding, and it's a sign of a good team.
"Second half, we had TJ going. We got Matthew going. It was nice to see Luke Goode out there, kind of break the seal for him. He's gonna be huge for us down the stretch. I thought Dain in the first half was just very impactful in the game.
"All in all, really good day, did what we needed to do here at home, and beat a really good Rutgers team."
Coleman Hawkins
On the 19-0 scoring run and holding Rutgers scoreless for 10 minutes in the second half:Â
"I feel like our defense was there. Our effort was there. Energy in the crowd, in the building, it's very contagious. When you're playing har and the next guy subs in, they have the expectation to go in, play hard, and match the energy or play even harder. I just feel the energy in the building, in the crowd, and throughout the team."
Dain Dainja
On dominating the glass after a rough start:
"I think they outrebounded us something like 15-4 to open the game, and we ended up with 40. At halftime, we just all bought in. We really just made a big emphasis on that, which really changed the game."
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois improves to 7-0 following a loss this season.
- The Illini are now 11-4 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.
- Illinois is 7-0 at State Farm Center against Rutgers.
- Illinois is 4-2 against ranked opponents this season and have won 15 of their last 23 against Top 25 opponents, including three-straight wins.
- Used a 19-0 scoring run to take the lead in the second half, overturning a six-point deficit.
- Held Rutgers scoreless for a stretch of 10:00.
- Longest scoring run of the season.
- Second-straight game with a scoring run of at least 11 points.
- Rutgers scored just 13 points over the last 15:03 of the game, making just five field goals.
- Illinois out-rebounded Rutgers 40-35.
- The Illini had a 29-20 advantage on the defensive end.
- Were out-rebounded 15-11 on the offensive glass but were able to add 13 second-chance points.
- The Illini out-scored the Scarlet Knights 28-32 in the paint.
- Illinois scored 12 points off of nine Rutgers turnovers.
- State Farm Center was sold out for the seventh-straight game.
- Sold out for the ninth time this season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Coleman Hawkins scored a game-high 18 points while also totaling eight rebounds and four assists.
- Went 8-for-13 from the floor, matching his career-high for field goals made.
- Five-straight games with at least eight rebounds.
- Three-straight games with at least three assists.
- Most points in a game since scoring 20 on Jan. 7 at Wisconsin.
- Dain Dainja poured in 15 points and secured seven rebounds.
- Has back-to-back games with at least 15 points.
- Had a team-high 11 points at halftime.
- Went 7-for-12 from the floor; has gone 14-for-23 over his last two games.
- Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 points, going 4-for-7 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from behind the arc.
- Has three-straight games with at least two 3-pointers made; longest such streak of the season.
- Recorded a career-high three blocks.
- Matthew Mayer scored eight points and tallied eight boards.
- Had a game-high seven rebounds at halftime.
- Freshman Jayden Epps scored six points.
- Freshman Ty Rodgers scored two points and secured seven rebounds off of the bench.
- Freshman Sencire Harris scored five points, going 2-for-2 from the floor, including one 3-point field goal.
- Luke Goode made his season debut and logged five minutes of action.
