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Illinois scorched Kentucky Wesleyan for 15 straight points to kick off Tuesday’s 76-39 victory at Assembly Hall – all the cushion the Illini would need in their second and final exhibition game of the season.

But nobody would have guessed that the highlight in this one would be the performance of reserve guard Chris Hicks in the final three minutes of the game.

Hicks, a perennial fan favorite and a walk-on player, entered the game with the Illini holding a 30-point lead, and he quickly added to that total. He drained the Illini’s final shot of the game, a three-pointer, with 30 seconds left and finished with seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field.

“He’s got to lead the country in points per minute,” senior forward Brian Randle said. “He’s put in a lot of hard work this summer. I don’t think people realize. It’s fun for people to chant his name, but he’s one of the hardest workers on this team. For him to get in there and show the work that he’s put in on his jump shot and show his capabilities, he deserves everything he gets.”

The solid-but-unspectacular play of freshmen Bill Cole and Mike Davis muddled the coaching staff’s decision regarding who will be redshirted this season. Freshman Mike Tisdale has wedged himself solidly in the center rotation; he appears to be safe from that possibility. In fact, Weber hinted that his entire squad could find itself on the active roster come the Illini’s first regular season game on Sunday.

Cole finished with seven points and four rebounds. Davis added four points and two rebounds, far removed from his team-leading 13 points and nine rebounds against Quincy on Oct. 31.

“If I could have probably two guys redshirt it would probably help the situation,” Weber said. “I’m not sure I’m going to have that. The younger guys are probably better than I anticipated, which is good. We may not redshirt anybody when it comes down to it. But can they be productive players against good teams?”

Shaun Pruitt saw his first time of the season at the start of the second half, which got things rolling at the free-throw line. Pruitt converted on three of his first four attempts and even snagged the rebound on his missed attempt, allowing the Illini to convert it into a score. Pruitt finished with five points and one rebound. The Illini shot 18-of-27 from the free throw line.

Overall, the Illini only won the rebounding battle 36-34.

In the opening minutes, Davis knocked down a turnaround hook from six feet and drained a layup after a botched alley-oop attempt. Trent Meacham was active on the defensive end, converting a steal into a layup on the second possession of the game. Meacham finished the game with 12 points to lead the team.

“I think we just want to improve every day, every half,” Meacham said. “Tonight, we’re not worried about the score, we’re just trying to keep improving.”

Meacham, the junior shooting guard from Champaign, has been fighting for a spot in the starting lineup. Transfer Steve Holdren, also vying for the position, finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting. Weber said his intensity on defense was better than usual.

Davis, along with Randle, Tisdale, Meacham and Chester Frazier, helped scorch the Division II team for 15 straight points in the opening minutes.

Randle scored eight points and had two rebounds for the Illini.

“I think we’re getting there,” Randle said. “We still have things to improve on, especially with the younger guys. It’s looking good right now … but there’s still some tweaks to work out.”