In their finale of the 2023 calendar year, the No. 11 Illini returned to Champaign with a 33-point victory against the visiting Fairleigh Dickinson Knights on Friday. With the win, Illinois extended its win streak to three as the team looks ahead to the remainder of its conference schedule.
Following the news of fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. being suspended from the program on Thursday amid sexual assault charges, the Illini fielded a slightly altered starting five on Friday. Junior guard Luke Goode was given the nod, taking the court with sophomore guard Ty Rodgers, graduate student forward Marcus Domask, graduate student forward Quincy Guerrier and senior forward Coleman Hawkins.
Despite the weight of the national spotlight now centered on the program due to the Shannon suspension, the Illini didnʼt falter. Coming off a career-high 28-point performance last week, it was Guerrier who got the scoring started with a three-point make. The opening five minutes saw the Knights able to keep the game close, however at the 11:52 mark a Hawkins triple boosted the Illini to a double-digit lead at 19-9.
A critical piece of Illinoisʼ dominant first-half performance was the resurgence of redshirt junior Dain Dainja. Despite only getting three minutes against Missouri previously, the big man left his mark with 15 points and five rebounds in the first half. On the perimeter, graduate student guard Justin Harmon stepped up to contribute 14 points on four makes from beyond the arc.
The rising momentum within the packed State Farm Center helped spark a 14-0 scoring run as the Illini cruised to a 48-28 advantage heading into halftime.
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Illinois got right back to work coming out of the break, with Hawkins opening the scoring with his second three-point make of the night. Guerrier continued to make his presence known, completing his double-double just under three minutes into the half. Rebounding was the name of the game as Illinois out-rebounded FDU 54-27. Rodgers, who earned his first career double-double, led the way with 15 rebounds by the end of regulation.
The Illini were in complete control, and a plethora of different scoring runs on efficient shooting saw them on the right side of a 104-71 scoreline by the final buzzer.
Illinois will be back in action on Tuesday, kicking off the 2024 calendar year against in-state rivals Northwestern. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. in Champaign.
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