Illinois shuts down Western Illinois in rout

Terrence Shannon Jr. needed just 10 shots to produce a team-high 19 points as Illinois rolled to an 84-52 nonconference victory over Western Illinois Friday night in Champaign, Ill.

Shannon drilled 6 of 8 3-pointers as Illinois (5-1) never trailed in its final tuneup before the Big Ten opener Dec. 2 at Rutgers. Dain Dainja, starting for injured center Coleman Hawkins for the third game in a row, delivered 16 points and eight rebounds while Quincy Guerrier added 10 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

James Dent Jr. paced Western Illinois (2-4) with 20 points but needed 24 field-goal attempts as the Leathernecks were limited to 29.2 percent shooting from the field. Jesiah West contributed 11 points and Ryan Myers added 10.

Shannon Jr. didn't take his first shot until the 13:45 mark — and his swished 3-pointer from the corner gave Illinois an 11-4 lead. Marcus Domask followed that with a floater and a driving layup, then Luke Goode drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions.

Goode's second 3 pushed Illinois' lead to 21-6 and forced Western Illinois coach Chad Boudreau to call a timeout with 11:31 left in the half.

The Leathernecks, who played without starting point guard Quinlan Bennett due to injury, responded with a 10-0 run to rebuild some suspense. Dent drilled two 3-pointers and a 17-foot pullup jumper before West made a backdoor cut for a resounding two-handed slam.

Illinois quickly restored a double-figure lead as Guerrier drove for a layup, Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn sank a jumper and Dainja ran the floor for a layup. The Illini finished the first half with a 40-23 advantage as Western Illinois shot just 27.3 percent and only three Leathernecks scored.

Western Illinois got as close as 12 points in the second half — Tay Knox followed his own shot to make it 49-37 with 13:20 to play — but Shannon answered with his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the night to restore an 18-point lead.

—Field Level Media