National Basketball Association
Illinois 88, Southern 60
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 19, 2023
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Officials:
# Owen Shortt, # Tim Comer, # Brian McNutt
Attendance:
12012
By Field Level Media
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 24 points as No. 23 Illinois cruised to an 88-60 nonconference win over Southern on Sunday night in Champaign, Ill.
Dain Dainja added 12 points and Quincy Guerrier chipped in 10 for the Fighting Illini (4-1). Illinois canned 60 percent of its field-goal tries in the first half and finished the evening at 57.1 percent for the game. It also completely dominated the boards, 50-17, which was more than enough to offset 21 turnovers.
Tai'Reon Joseph scored 16 points but made just 7 of 23 shots from the field, going 0-for-6 on 3-pointers for the Jaguars (1-4). Jordan Mitchell added 13 points, but the duo didn't have enough help. Southern connected on just 23 of 61 attempts from the field, including only 5 of 24 from beyond the 3-point line.
The Illini routinely punished the Jaguars inside, ending the game with a 62-28 advantage in points in the paint while earning an 18-1 edge in second-chance points. Illinois collected more offensive rebounds (15) than Southern had defensive rebounds (13).
The Illini led by at least 20 points for the final 18 1/2 minutes, pushing the lead as high as 34 on three occasions in the second half.
The first half was competitive for the most part, with Southern even holding a brief 6-4 lead after Joseph dunked. Illinois took the lead for good on Dainja's slam at the 16:01 mark, but the Jaguars tagged along closely, closing within 28-24 with 5:27 left after Jordan Johnson drained a 3-pointer.
That was as good as it got for Southern, as the Illini ripped off 17 straight points in a span of under five minutes. Shannon capped the run with a layup with 26 seconds remaining for a 21-point advantage. Even though Mitchell canned a 3-pointer to end the run, Illinois went to intermission with a 45-27 cushion.
The Illini didn't make a single 3-pointer in the first half, but they were still able to create the large lead thanks to 36 points in the paint.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Southern |
|
Illinois |
|
Tai'reon Joseph 16 |
Scoring |
Terrence Shannon Jr. 24 |
|
Jordan Mitchell 5 |
Assists |
Terrence Shannon Jr. 4 |
|
Delang Muon 4 |
Rebounds |
Marcus Domask 9 |
|
Dre'Shawn Allen 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Terrence Shannon Jr. 7 |
|
Tai'reon Joseph 3 |
Steals |
Amani Hansberry 2 |
|
Brentay Noel 1 |
Blocks |
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Southern
|
60 |
37.7 |
5-24 |
9-14 |
10 |
16 |
1 |
13 |
13 |
| Illinois
|
88 |
57.1 |
5-22 |
11-17 |
18 |
48 |
3 |
4 |
21 |
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