After a demoralizing loss to No. 8 Alabama (4-1), No. 25 Illinois (4-1) bounced back with a big win over Maryland Eastern Shore (2-6). They beat the Hawks 87-40, led by freshman guard Will Riley’s 19 points. The Illini shook off a slow start, going on a 17-0 run midway through the first half to take a 20-point lead heading into halftime. They kept their foot on the gas in the second half, outscoring the Hawks 52-25 in dominant fashion.
The good
The Illini brought their A-game on the defensive end. They held the Hawks to 15 points on 7-33 shooting in the first half. Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis disrupted the Hawks’ offense, snagging a career-high four steals in the first half alone. As a team, they had eight steals.
Maryland Eastern Shore tied the game at eight early in the first half. Over seven minutes later, the Hawks finally found a bucket. It was too little, too late, as the Illini went on a 17-0 run. The defense had three steals during that run.
The Hawks didn’t fare much better in the second half. They shot 8-35 from the floor. The Illini defense locked them down in the paint, allowing only four points in the second half and six all game.
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A big focus on defense coming into this matchup was junior guard Ketron Shaw. The Hawks’ leading scorer averaged 23.4 points per game coming into the matchup. However, the Illini disrupted his rhythm. Shaw was held scoreless in the first half, missing all five shots. The junior ended the game with seven points, making two of his 11 shots. He also turned the ball over twice.
Not only did Illinois clamp down on defense, but they also turned their defense into offense. They scored 17 points off turnovers, the most of any game in the young season.
The bad
Despite the win, Illinois struggled to shoot the ball. In the first half, they shot 13-37 from the floor. Throughout the half, multiple players missed open layups. The Illini put up a lot of shots from beyond the arc, per usual, but they struggled to find the bottom of the net. Illinois shot a poor 19% from three in the first half.
The Illini improved in the second half, sinking six three-pointers. It was not a major issue for the Illini in this game, as they had a large enough lead to play more freely. However, it is something that needs improvement as they play higher-quality opponents later in the season.
The three-point shot wasn’t the only one they struggled with. Once again, the Illini shot poorly from the free-throw line. For the third time this season, they shot under 70% from the charity stripe.
The encouraging
Even though it’s early in the season, the Illini have had a few players get off to an inconsistent start. Inconsistency is expected when there is only one returning scholarship player on the roster, but now, multiple players seem to be settling in better as the season progresses.
Junior guard Kylan Boswell was off to a rough start, only making four field goals in the team’s first three games. His defense was the only consistency in his game. However, the Arizona transfer has now recorded back-to-back double-digit performances.
Against the Hawks, Boswell looked more comfortable on the offensive side, sinking two threes and scoring 13 points. He struggled from the free-throw line, but his overall offense has gotten more dependable.
Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. played the best game of his young career. He notched a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing a team-leading 13 rebounds. The Illinois native looked aggressive, fighting to get rebounds.
He also added a few nice layups, working on the man guarding him to get under the basket. If the big man can find consistency, the Illini could have a scary rotation with Johnson and sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic.
Next up
Illinois will take on Little Rock at home on Monday, Nov. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. The game will be on the Big Ten Network.
@ben_some16
