Illini Overwhelm Chicago State, 117-64
By Jeff Mayfield
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 [December 30, 2024]
Champaign-Urbana - The Illinois Fighting Illini sprinted by the
Chicago State Cougars 117-64 Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center.
The Illini were never seriously threatened in this contest. This
game after Christmas is annually just a tune-up for the rest of the
Big Ten season. And wow do things get serious in a hurry for this
Illinois contingent. Coming up this week is a brutal west coast
swing featuring a visit to both Oregon and Washington.
The Illini shot 46% from 3-point range on 15 made threes while
scorching the nets at a 62% clip from the field for the day. The
Illini out rebounded the Cougars 47-23 while committing only 11
turnovers. Illinois also had 26 assists on 41 made baskets.
Hopefully, the Illini were able to shake off the Christmas rust and
will be ready to go all out versus their new Pacific Coast rivals.
Let’s consider our 3 stars for the game:
Star #1
Kylan Boswell-was literally everywhere. The local fans were
cheering so hard for him since the opening introductions that he
must have decided to reward the crowd in a big way. He has taken
control of this ball club and is just taking what defenses are
giving him. In this contest he came away with his first career
triple double by finishing the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and
10 assists. He was scheduled to come out of the game, but the Illini
fans revolted making their voices heard and Brad Underwood
shockingly took their non subtle suggestion and left Boswell on the
court. To say the patrons were delighted would be an understatement
but he was clearly the best player on the hardwood in this one.
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Star #2
Tomislav Ivisic-had a career high with 23 points. That included
converting 3 out of 4 from distance. But I love the way Tomi moves
and gets up and down the court. His excellent footwork enables him
to go right or left easily. And because he is money from the
perimeter, he pulls the opposing teams 5-man so far out that it
opens the lane for open cutters and better penetrations to the
basket. He is also a defensive force in the middle. We’ll see how he
fares against some of the league’s best big men.
Star #3 is a tie
Dra Gibbs Lawhorn-was our hustle player of the game. He funneled the
players he was guarding into solid stonewall team defense. He seemed
to be on every loose ball. He ended the afternoon with 16 points
going 7 of 9 from the floor. He also contributed 3 rebounds, 2
assists, and 2 steals.
and...
Morez Johnson, Jr.-loves to get his hands dirty. He’s not afraid to
mix it up on every possession and his efficiency numbers are off the
charts. He tallied 11 points with 8 rebounds. He also had 2 rebounds
and 3 impressive blocks.
(Kasparas Jakucionis also had 14 points and Tre White added 9 for
the hot-shooting Illini).
As for the two impressive plays of the game-we’ll go with an
incredible Jake Davis block and an explosive high-rising flush dunk
by Gibbs-Lawhorn that blew the roof off the building!
The stakes get a lot higher Thursday when the Illini travel to
Eugene to take on the Ducks. Oregon was ranked #9 at press time but
that was before the new poll came out. Hopefully, the Illini will be
ready to set the pace early in the league season.
[By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffqmay@gmail.com.
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