OMAHA, Neb. – No. 3 seed Illinois dominated from begin to end in its 89-63 second-round win over Eleventh-seeded Duquesne on the CHI Well being Heart Omaha on Saturday evening, securing the Combating Illini’s first journey to the Candy 16 since 2005.
4 scorers completed in double figures, whereas the Orange and Blue led by as many as 32 within the second half en path to the fourth-largest NCAA Event win in program historical past.
Terrence Shannon Jr. secured his seventh 30-point scoring effort of the season – together with his third within the Illini’s final 4 video games – whereas capturing 10-for-14 from the sphere. Shannon missed just one shot within the second half, and his 30-point efficiency was the third-ever for Illinois in NCAA Event historical past. He additionally tacked on 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals.
Marcus Domask recorded his fourth consecutive sport in double figures, pouring in 22 factors on 56% capturing. Shelling out seven assists, his fourth outing in a row with no less than seven helpers, Domask grabbed two of his three rebounds on the offensive glass and tallied a season-high two steals.
Coleman Hawkins registered 11 factors, all of which got here within the first half. Recording three 3-pointers, Hawkins corralled a team-best seven rebounds. He additionally dished out three assists and compelled one steal.
Quincy Guerrier returned to double figures with a 10-point, six-rebound show whereas snagging 4 offensive boards.
Dain Dainja totaled eight factors off the bench whereas capturing an ideal 4-for-4 from the sphere, his third straight sport with no miss. He additionally notched 5 rebounds.
With 13 gamers registering minutes within the 26-point win, Illinois secured its ninth look within the Candy 16 and pushed its season win complete 28, the third-most in program historical past.
The Illini opened the sport on a 7-2 run, with Domask accounting for the Orange and Blue’s first 5 factors of the evening. Hawkins, Guerrier, and Shannon every received early photographs to fall, which gave Illinois a 13-6 benefit on the first media timeout. The Illini established themselves on the boards rapidly, scoring six second-chance factors on 4 offensive rebounds by means of the sport’s first 4 minutes.
Illinois added to its lead utilizing a Shannon and-1 bucket to take a double-digit benefit, 16-6, simply over six minutes in. The Dukes minimize the deficit to single digits earlier than Dainja’s driving dunk moved the Illini’s benefit again as much as double figures. Duquesne then made a free throw earlier than back-to-back 3-pointers from Hawkins in 40 seconds compelled a timeout and introduced the Illini’s lead as much as 24-9 by means of eight-and-a-half minutes.
Lower than one minute later, Shannon moved into double figures together with his first 3-pointer of the evening. Hawkins then joined Shannon with double-digit factors together with his third trey of the day earlier than Domask’s layup accomplished a 14-2 Illini run, giving the Orange and Blue a 32-11 with simply over eight minutes left within the opening body.
Ty Rodgers and Guerrier mixed to increase Illinois’ benefit as much as 23 factors earlier than Duquesne answered with a 7-2 run. After the Illini went over three minutes with no subject objective, Dainja corralled an offensive rebound earlier than making the putback by means of contact. Domask then turned the third Illini to achieve the double-digit scoring mark, together with his layup bringing the Orange and Blue’s edge again above the 20-point mark.
Domask’s basket sparked a 6-0 run for the Illini, which was closed out on a flush from Dainja. Spanning simply over 60 seconds, that scoring stretch gave Illinois its largest lead of the primary half at that time, 46-22, with two minutes left earlier than halftime.
Main by as many as 26, the Illini went into the break with a 50-26 benefit. Three Illini scorers – Domask (13), Shannon (12), and Hawkins (11) – recorded double-digit factors by means of the opening 20 minutes, whereas the Orange and Blue capitalized on their dominant protection by scoring 15 factors on seven compelled turnovers.
The Dukes minimize Illinois’ lead down to twenty inside the first two minutes of the second half earlier than Shannon and Guerrier recorded fast-break baskets 25 seconds aside to deliver the Illini’s benefit again as much as 24. Duquesne began the body by making three of its first 4 3-point makes an attempt, however the Orange and Blue battled again with an environment friendly effort on the offensive finish.
With the Illini’s lead at 58-37, 5 straight factors from Shannon – an uncontested 3-pointer and a flying dunk after driving previous three defenders – noticed Illinois lengthen its edge as much as 26 factors, 63-37, with 14 minutes to play. The Dukes responded with an and-1 layup earlier than the Illini pieced collectively a 9-0 run to take a 72-40 lead two minutes later.
Duquesne continued to battle, because the Dukes used a 7-0 run to chop their deficit to 23 with seven minutes remaining. The Illini went practically four-and-a-half minutes with no subject objective earlier than Shannon reached the 30-point mark with a second-chance layup, extending Illinois’ edge again to 25 with six minutes to go.
Domask climbed above the 20-point mark after accounting for the Illini’s subsequent 4 factors, whereas Guerrier secured a double-digit scoring complete with a dunk with simply over three minutes remaining. His flush gave Illinois an 86-61 edge, whereas it signaled the fourth Orange and Blue scorer to achieve double figures. Closing the evening on a 5-2 run, the Illini punched their ticket by means of to the subsequent spherical.
Illinois now travels to the Candy 16 in Boston, the place it’ll tackle No. 2 seed Iowa State on the TD Backyard on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Participant Notes
- Terrence Shannon Jr. recorded 30 factors, which is tied for second-most by an Illini in NCAA Event historical past, together with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals.
- Has recorded back-to-back NCAA Event video games with 20+ factors, one shy of the Illinois report of three consecutive 20+-point video games completed by Don Sunderlage (1951), Nick Anderson (1989), and Luther Head (2005).
- Shannon has scored 20+ in all three of his NCAA Event video games as an Illini, together with 20 factors in Spherical 1 final yr vs. Arkansas.
- Shannon’s 30 factors are tied for second in Illinois historical past in an NCAA Event sport, matching Frank Williams vs. Kansas in 2001. He checked out of the sport for the ultimate time with 5:51 to play and completed one level shy of Illinois’ program report of 31 set by Deron Williams vs. Cincinnati in 2004.
- Shannon is the eighth participant to attain 30+ factors on this season’s NCAA Event, and the second participant to take action within the second spherical so far.
- Shannon now has seven 30+-point video games this season, which is sweet for the second-most in a single season in program historical past and just one behind Nick Weatherspoon’s eight in 1973.
- Shannon has scored 20+ factors in six consecutive video games, tied for the fourth-longest streak in program historical past, and essentially the most since Alfonso Plummer from Nov. 26 to Dec. 11, 2021. Total, Shannon has scored 20 or extra factors in eight of his final 9 contests.
- Has scored in double figures in 40 consecutive video games.
- Went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, his eighth sport this season with a 100% mark from the stripe.
- Made 10 subject objectives, his sixth sport this season with double-digit makes from the sphere.
- His 10 makes are additionally a career-best throughout his eight NCAA Event video games.
- Has recorded back-to-back NCAA Event video games with 20+ factors, one shy of the Illinois report of three consecutive 20+-point video games completed by Don Sunderlage (1951), Nick Anderson (1989), and Luther Head (2005).
- Marcus Domask totaled 22 factors, his Eleventh 20-point outing of the season, together with seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
- Reached double-figures scoring for the fourth sport in a row and in his twenty eighth sport total this season.
- Dished out no less than seven assists for the fourth sport in a row.
- Recorded a season-high two steals.
- Quincy Guerrier scored 10 factors and added six rebounds.
- Tallied a double-digit scoring complete for the twentieth time this season.
- Grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, his thirteenth sport of the yr with no less than three offensive boards.
- Coleman Hawkins scored all 11 of his factors within the first half, whereas he added a game-high seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
- Completed with three 3-pointers, his seventeenth sport with a number of makes from past the arc and his second consecutive contest with 2+ triples.
- Has 10 video games with 3+ triples.
- His 11 factors and three 3-pointers are each private bests in six profession NCAA Event video games.
- Has no less than seven rebounds in six of his final eight video games.
- Completed with three 3-pointers, his seventeenth sport with a number of makes from past the arc and his second consecutive contest with 2+ triples.
- Dain Dainja amassed eight factors off the bench whereas capturing 4-for-4 from the sphere and grabbing 5 boards.
- Tied the Illinois program report for consecutive made subject objectives at 19, matching the mark set by Derek Harper (Feb. 17-23, 1983).
- Shot 4-for-4 from the sphere, his third straight outing with a 100% field-goal proportion.
- Has not missed a shot from the sphere since March 15 vs. Ohio State.
- Tied the Illinois program report for consecutive made subject objectives at 19, matching the mark set by Derek Harper (Feb. 17-23, 1983).
Workforce Notes
- The Illini have superior to the Candy 16 of the NCAA event for the primary time since 2005 and for the ninth time total in program historical past because the event expanded to 32 groups in 1975.
- Illinois improves to 28-8 on the season, the third-most wins in program historical past and essentially the most in 19 years, because the 2004-05 workforce went 37-2 and superior to the NCAA Event championship sport.
- 1. 2005 – 37 wins
- 2. 1989 – 31 wins
- 3. 2024 – 28 wins
- 4. 2001 – 27 wins
- Illinois is now 44-34 all-time in NCAA Event video games.
- The Illini improved to 33-16 as the upper (higher) seed within the NCAA event and at the moment are 5-3 all-time as a No. 3 seed, and 3-0 all-time vs. the No. 11 seed.
- The Illini’s 89 factors are their most in an NCAA Event sport since March 26, 2005, when Illinois got here from behind in historic style to defeat Arizona, 90-89, in additional time.
- The workforce’s 89 factors are their most in regulation of an NCAA Event since posting 92 in opposition to Cincinnati on March 21, 2004.
- Illinois’ 26-point margin of victory is the fourth-largest within the NCAA Event in program historical past.
- The Illini made 11 of 13 field-goal makes an attempt from 15:55 to 7:02 remaining within the first half, which helped them go on a 27-7 throughout these eight minutes.
- Illinois’ 50 factors within the first half had been essentially the most given up by Duquesne in a gap interval this season.
- The Illini’s 50 factors had been additionally essentially the most in workforce historical past within the first half of an NCAA Event sport and tied for fifth-most in an NCAA tourney sport total.
- Illinois totaled 80+ factors in consecutive NCAA Event video games for the primary time since 2001-02.
- The Illini shot 59.3% from the sphere, their fourth-best mark in a sport this season, and the fifth-best in an NCAA Event sport in program historical past.
- Illinois made 35 subject objectives in opposition to Duquesne, tying the fifth-most makes in an NCAA Event sport in Illinois program historical past.
- The Illini superior to face No. 2 seed Iowa State in Boston on Thursday. The Illini are 11-3 all-time vs. Iowa State, although the applications have performed solely thrice within the final 4 a long time, most lately assembly on Nov. 20, 2018, within the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.