No. 14 Illinois pulls away from Rutgers in Terrence Shannon's return

 

[January 22, 2024]  Justin Harmon's 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench led five players in double-figure scoring as No. 14 Illinois earned an 86-63 Big Ten victory over Rutgers Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.

Quincy Guerrier (15 points, 11 rebounds) recorded his fifth double-double in the last seven games for Illinois (14-4, 5-2). Terrence Shannon Jr. added 16 points in his first game since Dec. 22, Coleman Hawkins notched 12 points, nine rebounds and five steals and Marcus Domask contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Clifford Omoruyi posted 22 points and nine rebounds to pace Rutgers (10-8, 2-5), which cut a 15-point second-half deficit to four with 10 minutes to play before Illinois pulled away. Aundre Hyatt added 11 points and Noah Fernandes scored 10 before fouling out.

Illinois received a boost from Shannon's first appearance after missing six games due to a suspension Dec. 28 following a rape charge in Kansas. An Illinois judge granted a preliminary injunction Friday that allowed Shannon to return to the team.

Shannon entered at 17:36 of the first half to a roar of approval from the crowd. On his first two possessions, he raced with the ball in transition and fed Hawkins for dunks that gave Illinois an 8-2 lead and forced Rutgers into a timeout.

When Guerrier crashed the offensive glass and dunked Domask's 3-point try with 8:54 left in the first half, Illinois owned a 22-9 lead on the scoreboard, a 16-8 advantage on the boards and 18 points in the paint.

Rutgers turned to Omoruyi repeatedly in the first half and he delivered 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting -- including his first 3-pointer of the year -- but Illinois built a 40-28 halftime lead as Guerrier's nine points and five rebounds led a balanced attack.

Jan 21, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Scarlet Knights slashed their deficit immediately as Omoruyi hammered home a dunk and Derek Simpson turned a steal into a jumper to cut the margin to 40-32 in the first 30 seconds of the second half, but Illinois recovered to re-establish a 47-32 lead on Harmon's 3-pointer with 16:15 to go.

Rutgers dug in again and reeled off an 11-1 run -- sparked by Fernandes' eight straight points -- to make it a 52-47 game with 11:37 left.

Rutgers had possession with a chance to get closer than five, but Omoruyi missed two shots and Shannon delivered back-to-back layups in transition to restore a 60-51 lead. That sparked a stretch where Illinois hit seven shots in a row to build a 72-56 working margin.

--Field Level Media

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.