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  • Illinois Never Trailed As The Fighting Illini Casually Brush Off Colgate To Win, 74-57

Illinois Never Trailed As The Fighting Illini Casually Brush Off Colgate To Win, 74-57

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Basketball

No. 16-ranked Illinois never trailed Sunday in a 74-57 win over Colgate at State Farm Center. The game was the opener in a doubleheader with the Illinois women's team, which faced off against Missouri in the McBride Home Braggin' Rights matchup.

Illinois (8-2) led off with a 14-0 run and never looked back. Terrence Shannon Jr. started the scoring with a triple on the Illini's first possession, setting the tone in a 14-point, 5-block performance.

"That start was really important," said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. "Outside of a couple layups, our defense was really good in the first half."

Illinois' balanced effort featured four double-digit scorers with Coleman Hawkins leading the way with 16 points, followed by Quincy Guerrier (15), Shannon (14), and Marcus Domask (11).

The Illini shot 42% from the field, 35% from three, and 91% from the line, plus had another dominant day on the glass, outrebounding Colgate, 43-25. Illinois, which entered the day fourth in the nation in rebounding, grabbed 13 offensive boards and featured four players with at least seven rebounds in Ty Rogers (8), Dain Dania (8), Guerrier (7), and Hawkins (7).

Colgate (6-5), the reigning Patriot League champions, used a late second-half spurt to get within nine points, but Illinois held off the Raiders. The Illini forced Colgate to just 3-of-15 shooting from behind the arc, the Illini's best three-point defense of the season.

"They know how to win," Underwood said of Colgate. "They don't back down from any challenges."

Illinois got to the 17-point win despite Colgate making three more field goals than the Illini. Illinois made up the difference by hitting eight three-pointers to Colgate's three and knocking down 20-of-22 free throws to Colgate's 2-for-6 day from the line.

The game was Illinois' first at State Farm Center since a win over Western Illinois on Nov. 24, a stretch of 23 straight days away from their home base for the Fighting Illini. Illinois now turns its attention to the McBride Homes Braggin' Rights battle against Missouri on Dec. 22 in St. Louis.