After scoring just 31 points in the first half, Illinois exploded for 58 points in the second half to defeat Brown, 89-68.

In the first half, Illinois shot a measly 30.6 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent on 3-pointers. But a lights-out 73.1 field goal percentage in the second half lifted the Illini to their fourth straight win to start the season.

“We have too many good shooters. At some point, that’s going to turn, and that’s what happened in the second half,” Illinois head coach John Groce said. ”The first half, we got some of the same shots, but we just didn’t make them.”

Brown (1-4) led 35-31 at halftime but couldn’t maintain its first-half play.

“We stuck to our plan and executed pretty well for 20 minutes,” Brown head coach Mike Martin said.

Groce attributed Brown’s success to coaching errors by Illinois.

“In the first half, we had four or five scouting errors. That’s what stood out to me,” he said.

The Illini weren’t able to match their 100-point performances against Coppin State and Austin Peay, but the 89 points were enough for the Illini to maintain their place atop the nation in scoring offense.

Despite having so much success offensively early in the season, junior guard Aaron Cosby said the Illini struggled early because of too much focus on that end of the court.

“In the first half, I think we tried to outscore them instead of stop them, which was why we were down at halftime,” said Cosby, who led five Illini in double figures with 18 points. “If we focus on the defensive end, the offense will take care of itself.”

Joining Cosby in double digits were Rayvonte Rice (15 points), Kendrick Nunn (12), Malcolm Hill (11) and Leron Black (10). Rice also had 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.

Overall, the Illini had 18 assists on 30 makes.

“Our team shows its unselfishness — five guys in double figures,” Groce said. “I thought we overpassed a little bit.”

After going 4-for-15 on 3-pointers in the first half, the Illini shot just six in the second half, making four. Instead, the Illini shot 15-for-20 on 2s in the second half.

Another main difference in the second half was free throws. The Illini went 16-for-18 after going 5-for-9 from the line in the first half.

“They got to the foul line because of their aggressive play,” Martin said.

Brown sophomore guard Steven Spieth, who came into the game averaging 5.0 points per game, led all scorers with 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Forward Rafael Maia (13 points) was the only other player in double figures for the Bears.

Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @jhett93.