In Friday’s clash at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, No. 13 Illinois dominated with a 97-73 victory due to sharp three-point shooting. A loss in the annual Braggin’ Rights rivalry game saw the Tigers drop to a 7-5 record on the season.
The Fighting Illini connected on 11 3s, with seven of them coming in the first half. The ability to create open shots from beyond the arc was a big factor in UIUC’s early lead against MU early.
Forward Quincy Guerrier led Illinois in three-point shooting, finishing the night with five successful attempts. Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. found Guerrier on a fast break for a 3 to give the Fighting Illini a 9-4 lead early in the matchup. Guerrier also drilled a shot from beyond the arc to give UIUC a 20-9 advantage with 12:15 remaining in the first half.
Photo Cred: Spectrum News
Shannon played a crucial role by assisting all three of Guerrier’s first-half three-pointers. Toward the end of the first half, the guard delivered the ball to Guerrier for his third 3 of the night to extend Illinois’ lead to 43-20.
Guerrier, the former Oregon Duck, continued his impressive performance in the second half, knocking down two more shots from beyond the arc. The first came with less than two minutes left in the half. The forward’s second one came towards the end of the game, widening the Fighting Illini’s lead to 93-65 lead with 1:52 remaining.
Forward Coleman Hawkins added three significant contributions from beyond the arc for UIUC, all of which came in the first half. The senior scored his first one at the beginning of the contest to make the score 14-7. His second three-pointer increased Mizzou’s deficit to 30-15 with 9:23 remaining. The forward also knocked down a far-ranged 3 off Shannon’s assist with a little over six minutes left in the first half. His efforts helped to build substantial leads at different points in the game.
Photo Cred: The Champaign Room
Shannon, who led the Fighting Illini in scoring with 30 points, recorded two three-pointers. Forward Marcus Domask found Shannon for his first 3 in the first half. The former Texas Tech Red Red Raider knocked down his second 3 with 13:50 remaining, giving UIUC a 65-40 lead. He concluded the contest with four assists, helping teammates Guerrier (three) and Hawkins (one) hit four combined 3s.
Junior guard Luke Goode also chipped in with a three-pointer for Illinois toward the end of the game, which was assisted by Domask. With the shot, UIUC extended their lead to 88-58 with 4:29 left in the game.
The Fighting Illini finished the game shooting 11-for-33 (33.3%) from three-point range on Friday. Head coach Brad Underwood’s team shot 36.8% from beyond the arc in the first half and 28.6% in the second.
Photo Cred: Yahoo Sports
