Second-half surge sends Illinois past Morehead State

Field Level Media|published: Thu 21st March, 17:58 2024

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) drives against Morehead State Eagles guard Riley Minix (22) in the first half during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. credits: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points, Dain Dainja had 17 of his 21 points after halftime and Marcus Domask notched a triple-double to lift Illinois past Morehead State 85-69 on Thursday in an NCAA Tournament East Region first-round game in Omaha, Neb.

Third-seeded Illinois (27-8) pulled away from the No. 14 Eagles behind a 20-3 run midway through the second half to go ahead 68-51. Dainja scored 10 points during the surge and finished 9 for 9 from the floor.

Illinois advanced to face 11th-seeded Duquesne in the second round on Saturday. The Dukes edged No. 6 BYU 71-67 in Thursday's East Regional opener to secure the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969.

Domask solidified his first career triple-double as Illinois extended its lead down the stretch. He finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

"We're a deep team," Domask said in a postgame TV interview. "We have a lot of guys. If you take away one guy, the next one is just going to step up like they did today."

Illinois sidestepped an early flurry from the 14th-seeded Eagles to recover from last season's first-round tournament defeat.

Morehead State raced to the first nine points of the game as Riley Minix, Kalil Thomas and Jordan Lathon each drilled treys in the opening 1:37.

Minix, an NAIA transfer and the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, scored a game-high 27 points, giving him 20-plus points in 13 of 14 games to close the season. Lathon followed with 23 points for the Eagles (26-9) to go with seven rebounds.

The Fighting Illini rallied behind their own standout, taking their first lead of the game when Shannon converted a three-point play with 5:51 left before halftime. Minix tied the game 29-29 with a pullup jumper on the next possession, but Illinois' Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn answered with a trey.

Illinois led 39-38 at halftime. Shannon, who has scored in double figures in 39 straight games dating to last season, had 19 first-half points on 7-for-13 shooting. His teammates combined for 20 points on 8 of 18 from the floor.

Morehead State took its final lead when a pair of Minix free throws gave the Eagles a 45-43 advantage with 16:44 remaining.

Coleman Hawkins scored 10 points for Illinois. Domask recorded the 10th triple-double in NCAA Tournament history.

—Field Level Media