No. 11 Illinois Wraps Up Non-Conference Slate With Emphatic Win Over FDU - University of Illinois Athletics (2024)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Six Illini scorers finished in double figures as No. 11 Illinois closed its non-conference schedule with a 104-71 win over FDU at State Farm Center on Friday night.

Hitting triple figures for the first time this season, the Orange and Blue finished 9-2 against out-of-conference opponents ahead of the return of Big Ten play on Tuesday night.

The Fighting Illini never trailed, registered an assist on 21 of their 36 field goals, grabbed 54 rebounds, shot 52.2% from the field, knocked down a season-high 13 3-pointers, and scored 30 second-chance points off 22 offensive boards.

Dain Dainja missed only one shot and shot 90% from the field en route to a season-high and team-most 19 points and six rebounds. Dainja converted on his first five attempts of the night, and five of his six boards came on the offensive glass.

Ty Rodgers did a little bit of everything in the victory, picking up his first-career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Rodgers also dished out five assists, which matched his career-best mark,and tallied one steal.

Justin Harmon accumulated a season-high 18 points, including a career-high four 3-pointers. Harmon accounted for the Illini's final 14 points of the first half, and he also totaled two assists.

Coleman Hawkins finished his outing with 18 points, including five triples. Hawkins hit four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 12 points in the second half, and he also ended his night with three rebounds, two steals, two assists, and one block.

Marcus Domask pieced together his first double-double of the campaign with 11 points and a career-high 11 assists. He also grabbed four rebounds, recorded a team-high two blocks, and had a steal.

Quincy Guerrier recorded his third double-double of the season, registering 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added nine points off the bench, with all of his scoring coming in the second half. He also amassed four boards.

The Fighting Illini opened the contest with a 5-0 run, which featured a Guerrier triple on the team's first trip down the court. After the Knights fought back to even the game at 5-5, the Orange and Blue used a 14-4 run to take a double-digit advantage just over eight minutes into the night.

A personal 4-0 run for Guerrier re-established a double-digit Illini edge, but after FDU cut its deficit to six, Dainja and Harmon stepped up to put Illinois comfortably back in front. The pair accounted for every point in the Orange and Blue's 14-0 run over the span of about two minutes to put the Illini ahead, 43-23.

Harmon scored the Illini's final 14 points of the frame, and he connected from 3-point range on four occasions to send Illinois into the break with a 48-28 advantage.

Dainja knocked down his first five attempts from the floor, and he missed only one shot en route to a game-high 15 first-half points. Harmon amassed 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, all of which came in the final three minutes of the frame. The Illini out-rebounded the Knights, 32-11, and registered an assist on 12 of 16 field goals in the first half.

A triple from Hawkins kicked off the scoring in the second half before Guerrier and Rodgers combined for the Illini's next nine points, pushing the hosts' advantage to 24 points. Domask's first triple of the night started a 5-0 Illinois run before a 7-0 Illini scoring stretch, which featured buckets from three different scorers, four minutes later pushed the home side's edge to 29 points.

Eight points from Gibbs-Lawhorn helped the Illini go on a 15-2 run over the span of just over three minutes. With the Illini lead growing as large as 40 points, Illinois closed outit* 33-point victory to extend its winning streak to three games.

No. 11 Illinois (10-2, 1-0 B1G) returns to State Farm Center and resumes conference play against Northwestern on Tuesday. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will air on Big Ten Network.

Highlights

Press Conference

Postgame Notes

PLAYER NOTES

• Dain Dainja scored a season-high, and team-high, 19 points and added six rebounds.
  • Scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half, to go along with five rebounds and one assist in nine minutes of action.
    • Went 7-for-8 from the floor.
    • All five of his rebounds came on the offensive glass.
  • Went 9-for-10 overall from the floor, matching his career-high mark in field goals.
  • Was a +22 in 16 minutes of play off of the bench.
• Justin Harmon scored a season-high 18 points, going 6-for-10 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc.
  • Scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half and added an assist.
  • Made a career-high four 3-pointers.
    • Went 4-for-7 from behind the arc in the first half.
• Coleman Hawkins scored a season-high 18 points and added three rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.
  • Made a season-high five 3-pointers.
    • Has multiple 3-point makes in four straight games and has made at least three 3-pointers in three games during this stretch.
• Quincy Guerrier scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
  • Recorded his third double-double of the season.
  • Has scored in double figures in four straight games, his longest such streak of the season.
  • Scored seven points and had nine rebounds in the first half.
  • Grabbed double-digit boards for the fourth time this season.
    • Has at least seven rebounds in three straight games.
• Ty Rodgers matched his season-high with 10 points scored, secured a career-high 15 rebounds and matched a career-best with five assists.
  • Recorded his first-career double-double.
  • Scored four points and secured nine rebounds in the first half, three of which were offensive.
  • Grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.
    • Five rebounds came on the offensive end.
• Marcus Domask scored 11 points to go along with four rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
  • First double-double of his Illini career.
  • First Illini to have 10 assists in a game since Coleman Hawkins also had 10 on Nov. 29, 2022, vs. Syracuse.
    • Is just the fourth Illini since the 2010-11 season to record double-digit assists (Hawkins, Ayo Dosunmu (3x), Demetri McCamey (3x)).
    • Has at least five assists in consecutive contests for the first time this season.
    • Has 16 assists in his last two games after having 16 assists through his first 10 games this season.
• Luke Goode scored two points and had three rebounds in his first-career start.
• Domask, Guerrier and Rodgers are the first Illini trio to each record a double-double in the same game since at least the 2010-11 season.
• Hawkins and Harmon are the first Illini duo to each knock down at least four 3-pointers in a contest since Jayden Epps and Terrence Shannon Jr. each did so on Nov. 14, 2022, vs. Monmouth.

TEAM NOTES

• The Illini had a season-high six players score in double figures in the contest.
  • Most since also having six players reach that mark on March 14, 2021, vs. Ohio State.
• Nine different Illini scored in the contest.
• Illinois knocked down a season-high 13 3-pointers in the contest.
  • Six different players hit a shot from beyond the arc.
  • The Illini have made double-digit 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time this season.
    • Have made at least eight 3-pointers in six straight contests.
• Illinois out-rebounded FDU, 54-27.
  • The +27 rebounding margin is the third time this season the Illini have had a +27 margin or better on the glass.
  • Scored a season-high 30 second-chance points on a season-best 22 offensive rebounds.
  • The Illini held a 32-11 advantage on the glass in the opening 20 minutes of the contest, scoring 18 points on 14 offensive rebounds.
  • Illinois has reached the 50-reboundmark seven times this season, the most in a single season since at least the 1979-80 season.
• Illinois recorded a season-high 21 assists on 36 field goals.
  • The Illini have dished out double-digit assists in three straight games, a season-long streak.
  • Illinois assisted 12 times on 16 first half field goals.
• The Illini scored a season-best 21 points off of 12 Knights turnovers.

Quotes

Head coach Brad Underwood

On Dainja's performancegiven recentmatch-ups and limited minutes:

"Dain works. Dain is a team guy. Dain is all about us. You keep communicating and you keep telling him, 'It's the right time.' When Coleman was out, we saw him step in and flourish. It's sure not a knock on his abilities; it's been more of a matchup and the opportunity.

"In my opinion, I think we have the best-shooting five-man in college basketball, Coleman Hawkins, and those match-ups based on the way they cover. The college game is influencing a little bit to the NBA type of game.

"Coleman's proven what we've been saying for years: that he can really, really shoot it, and now we've got him shooting it. I'm really proud of Dain tonight. He was very, very impactful."

On Rodgers and Harmon making an impact at the lead guard spot:

"We've started to see Ty Rodgers really blossom. Find me another point guard who gets 15 rebounds. Find me another guy who guards the other team's best player.

"Justin's a veteran. I am so proud of Justin because since Christmas, he's out there. It's just been another level of work. The first two, he missed. You could kind of see him get a little hesitant, and I told him, 'The only way I'm not gonna play you is if you turn down shots.'

"It's great to see that. There's physicality with him. There's a sense of toughness, but Ty's been as dominant a player in the Missouri game as there was, and he was again tonight."