News

Shannon scores 30 as No. 19 Illinois routs Monmouth 103-65

Posted November 14, 2022 6:00 am

By GAVIN GOOD

Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. reaches for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Monmouth, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Michael Allio) The Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Terrence Shannon Jr. had a career-high 30 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 19 Illinois to a 103-65 win over Monmouth on Monday night.

Freshman guard Jayden Epps scored a season-high 21 points and Dain Dainja finished with 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting for the Illini (3-0).

Andrew Ball scored 13 points to lead Monmouth (0-3), and Jack Collins added 12.

Illinois made its first five shots - four of them 3s - and hit nine of its first 12 shots to sprint out to a 24-9 lead. It was a sharp contrast from a 1-for-18 start from the field in a win over Kansas City last Friday.

Illinois led 8-0 just 44 seconds in thanks to a 3 by Shannon, a steal and layup from RJ Melendez and a 3 from Skyy Clark. Clark pushed the Illini lead to double digits with a decisive crossover in transition and a layup, part of a 31-5 run that included four buckets from Shannon and four from Dainja.

Illinois led 63-33 at halftime after shooting 76.7% in the first half.

The Illini sharpshooters cooled off a bit in the second half, finishing the game at 59.7%. It hardly mattered in part due to converting 24 Hawks turnovers into 30 points.

BIG PICTURE

Monmouth: King Rice's group is working through some inevitable bumps after graduating eight seniors from last year's 21-13 team. Back-to-back road games against ranked opponents should serve as good preparation for Monmouth's first season in the CAA after jumping from the MAAC.

Illinois: Limiting turnovers will be a key for this group in challenging games in Las Vegas against No. 8 UCLA and either No. 5 Baylor or No. 16 Virginia. The Hawks looked helpless before crawling into the game by scoring seven points off four turnovers.

UP NEXT

Monmouth: The Hawks take on Norfolk State in their home opener on Thursday.

Illinois: Heads to Las Vegas to take on No. 8 UCLA Friday in the first of two games in the Continental Tire Main Event.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) is fouled by Monmouth's Myles Ruth, left, as Jack Holmstrom, right, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Michael Allio) The Associated Press

Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr., second from left, works the ball inside against Monmouth's Klemen Vuga (35) and Jack Holmstrom during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Michael Allio) The Associated Press

Monmouth coach King Rice looks on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Illinois, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Michael Allio) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Illinois News Region

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.