Illinois overcomes slow start to defeat Eastern Illinois 80-52 in season opener

CHAMPAIGN - Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored 18 points, Terrence Shannon Jr. added 16 and No. 25 Illinois pulled away in the second half to beat Eastern Illinois 80-52 in a season opener for both teams on Monday night.

Twelve players scored for the Illini as they used their depth to turn away the Panthers.

Gibbs-Lawhorn, a freshman on a team of mostly veteran players, was impressive in his Illini debut. The slender 6-foot-1 guard shot 7-of-10 from the field, including a one-handed dunk in the first half that ignited the State Farm Center crowd.

Kooper Jacobi scored 10 points to lead Eastern Illinois.

Ahead 37-25 at halftime, the Illini pulled away from the Panthers with a 21-6 run to start the second half

Illinois started slowly. Eastern Illinois took an early 15-6 lead before the sluggish Illini rallied.

It took a 10-point run in the final 3:03 of the first half to give Illinois its 12-point halftime lead. The Illini led at the break despite making just 4-of-17 3-pointers and shooting 3-for-10 on free throws.

They finished just 9-of-31 on 3s and 10-of-20 at the free throw line.

BIG PICTURE

After beating No. 1 Kansas in an exhibition game, the Illini came out flat against their in-state foe and paid the price, struggling for much of the first half. It was not a terribly impressive victory for a ranked team. After going 9-22 last season, Eastern Illinois stood its ground against the Illini for the most of the first half, providing hope for a turnaround season.

UP NEXT

Eastern Illinois: The Panthers will face Monmouth (Ill.) on Wednesday in their home opener.

Illinois: The Illini will continue their six-game home stand to start the season by hosting Oakland (Mich.) on Friday.