Illinois 114, Coppin State 56: Ahmad Starks and Leron Black led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points apiece as the host Illini routed the Eagles.
Aaron Cosby added 17 points, including five 3-pointers, for Illinois (2-0), which also got 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals from Rayvonte Rice. Kendrick Nunn and Malcolm Hill each chipped in 13 points, with Hill grabbing a team-high nine rebounds as the Illini dominated the boards 50-35.
Jahvari Josiah and Christian Kessee each scored 11 points to lead Coppin State (0-2), which shot 29.6 percent from the field. Arnold Fripp and Daquan Brickhouse added seven points apiece for the Eagles, who turned the ball over 18 times.
Coppin State scored the game's first three points, but Illinois ran off a 16-0 run to quickly take control. It was 19-8 with 13:28 to play when the Illini went on a 14-0 spurt en route to a 59-24 lead at halftime.
The Eagles didn't score for the first 3:05 of the second half, by which time Illinois had tacked on another 10 points to the lead. The advantage hit 50 when Starks connected from 3-point range with 10:37 to play, and the benches were soon emptied by both coaches.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Illini had five double-digit runs in the game that totaled a 69-0 advantage. … Illinois recorded its highest point total since scoring 121 in a victory over Chicago State in 1993. … Illinois made 15 3-pointers, which tied the State Farm Center record and was one off the school mark of 16, set in an Elite Eight win over Arizona in 2005.
Coppin St. | Illinois | |
Jahvari Josiah 11 | Scoring | Leron Black 18 |
Taariq Cephas 4 | Assists | Jaylon Tate 7 |
Lawrence Fejokwu 7 | Rebounds | Malcolm Hill 9 |
Jerimyjah Batts 2 | Free Throws Made | Leron Black 4 |
Daquan Brickhouse 3 | Steals | Rayvonte Rice 4 |
Lawrence Fejokwu 3 | Blocks | Nnanna Egwu 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Coppin St. | 56 | 29.6 | 6-28 | 8-11 | 8 | 33 | 7 | 7 | 18 |
Illinois | 114 | 55.4 | 15-28 | 17-19 | 24 | 47 | 5 | 10 | 9 |