Following a 28-point season-opening victory, No. 25 Illinois men’s basketball took the court for a meeting with Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies had already more than proven they were no pushover, leading for much of their season-opening loss to Ohio State (79-73). That rang true for the Illini, as it was not until the end that they confidently pulled away and claimed a 64-53 win.
Second slow start made worse by continued struggles from the free-throw line
Oakland jumped on top of Illinois immediately after tipoff. Two threes and even a jumper from the midrange culminated in a very early 8-0 deficit for the Illini. They were able to rally and seemingly get to the free throw line at will, but many of those trips came up empty or half-full. A 4-10 showing in the first half was aided by a 4-6 mark in the second half, but 8-16 is far from where the Illini need to be in that category.
The overall mark from three wasn’t pretty either (4-16), but 4-10 in the second half was a very encouraging sign from a team that has a lot of players who know how to shoot.
Illinois’ starting five players are indicated with *.
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* Terrence Shannon Jr. (B)
Despite finishing as the Illini’s top scorer with 15 points, it was an off night for Shannon by his standards. The fifth-year guard struggled to get anything to fall early on and shot 0-3 from beyond the arc heading into halftime.
However, coming out of the break Shannon was able to turn things around, contributing a much more efficient 2-3 shooting from the triple and looking much sharper on each possession. Shannon also helped bring the energy back into the building with a few two-handed highlight dunks.
* Marcus Domask (C)
Domask had a mixed night against the Golden Grizzlies. While the graduate student forward shot the ball slightly more efficiently than in the season opener (3-7 versus 2-8 shooting from the field), Domask wasn’t able to offer much in any other category. In addition to zero rebounds and a single assist, the glaring stat from the forward’s night was his team-high three turnovers. On the bright side, Domask played a role in the Illini’s late scoring run, putting up a big triple that ignited the crowd in Champaign.
* Quincy Guerrier (A)
Guerrier had an argument for the Illini’s most impactful player. He had the second most points (13) while also pulling in a team-high 10 rebounds. In such a close game, each of those were absolutely essential. He made five of his nine shots and managed to make two of his three free throws, which was another area that the Illini really struggled with. Overall, Guerrier offered an extremely comforting boost in just about every single area of need.
* Coleman Hawkins (B+)
After playing just 14 minutes in the season opener, Hawkins’ performance against Oakland was a very welcome bounce back. His eight points were key, but it was the all-around performance that contributed the most. The most frustrating aspect of his first outing was the poor rebounding, a stark contrast to his eight rebounds against Oakland. Most impressive was that three were on the offensive end. Hawkins also shined as a playmaker, assisting five total baskets with a couple being especially awe-inspiring.
* Ty Rodgers (B+)
Rodgers had the least amount of playtime of the starters but was a rare offensive plus on a night where the Illini struggled to get the ball to drop. Anyone who can get to 10 points while missing just three shots is an absolute plus, on top of the hounding defense that was noticed by Oakland head coach Greg Kampe.
Dain Dainja (A)
If there was any substitution that changed the game for the Illini, it was the introduction of Dainja. As the Golden Grizzlies continued to climb ahead on the scoreboard, it was the redshirt junior who halted their momentum. In a night of inconsistent shooting across the team, Dainja’s 5-8 efficiency from the field helped pull the Illini out of their slump.
Dainja also grabbed seven rebounds off the bench and provided a much-needed physical presence in the paint. The only area where the forward struggled was, like most of the team, from the free throw line where he blanked 0-3. Otherwise, it was a very strong performance from Illinois’ big man as he continues to battle for a spot in Underwood’s starting lineup.
Luke Goode (C-)
Goode was the primary target of Oakland’s leading scorer, Trey Townsend. He repeatedly called for screens to get Goode switched onto him and often scored once he got that matchup. Illinois as a whole was not doing a good job of containing Townsend or helping Goode avoid being the one to guard him. The real disappointment was the shooting, which is usually Goode’s specialty. In 18 minutes he got up just two shots and missed both. Goode ended the night with two rebounds, a foul and a turnover as his only counting stats.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (C+)
Only played 12 minutes and missed all three of his shots. Considering the size and lack of minutes he was fairly active on the boards, racking up a rebound on both ends of the floor.
Justin Harmon (N/A)
Harmon was only given six minutes on the floor, shooting 0-1 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line.
Amani Hansberry (DNP)
Hansberry did not see action on Friday night.
