Coming off a 17-point victory over Colgate, No. 13 Illinois menʼs basketball entered Friday nightʼs edition of Bragginʼ Rights against Missouri with wind in its sails. After losing the Bragginʼ Rights to the Tigers last year the Illini came into St. Louis on a mission, avenging the defeat with a massive 24-point victory.
Head coach Brad Underwood sent out what has become the Illiniʼs established starting five of fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr., sophomore guard Ty Rodgers, graduate student forward Marcus Domask, graduate student forward Quincy Guerrier and senior forward Coleman Hawkins.
While Missouri won the tipoff and got on the scoreboard first, Illinois looked the livelier of the two sides to open the game. Shannon, Guerrier and Hawkins led the way as the Illini boosted themselves to a 14-9 lead five minutes into the contest.
However, things began to stall as both teams entered a combined 2:23 scoring drought. A quick layup from Shannon ended the drought, and Illinois began rolling from this point forward. A fast-paced 13-4 run saw the team elevate to a 14-point advantage, with the sea of orange roaring in the Enterprise Center. The efficient shooting from the field only continued, while the Tigers struggled, shooting just 10-42 in the first 20 minutes.
Seventeen points from Shannon, 13 points from Hawkins and 12 points from Guerrier served as the primary talking points from a first half that saw the Illini earn a lopsided 49-24 lead heading into the halftime break.
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After opening the second half with a cleanup bucket from Rodgers, Illinois never seemed to be in any real trouble and were able to take care of business. Guerrierʼs red-hot shooting from the triple continued following Rodgerʼs layup, with the graduate student sinking five three-point makes by the end of the night.
Meanwhile, the Shannon show only continued throughout the final period. The Chicago native was a driving force for the Illini on both ends of the floor, completing his sixth career double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds. With Illinois managing to stay well in front of Missouri, the traveling Illini fans were able to sit back and relax as the team cruised to a comfortable 97-73 victory.
With the win secured, the Bragginʼ Rights trophy will be returning to Champaign for the first time in two years.
Now 9-2 overall, No. 13 Illinois menʼs basketball will return to the State Farm Center to begin a two-game home stretch against FDU and Northwestern.
@james_kim15
