Trent Frazier had 16 points and four three-pointers and Kipper Nichols had a season-high 14 points as Illinois tied a school record with 16 3-pointers in an 86-67 victory over the Mississippi Valley State in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday.
DaMonte Williams had 10 points and five rebounds, Alan Griffin scored 10 points and Ayo Dosunmu had six points, nine rebounds and nine assists in for the perimeter-oriented Fighting Illini (2-4), who broke a four-game losing streak.
The Illini also had 16 3-pointers in one of the most memorable victories in school history, a 90-89 overtime NCAA tournament win over Arizona on March 27, 2005, in which they overcame a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation to make the Final Four.
Jordan Evans had 22 points and four 3-pointers, Dante Scott had 12 points and Aleksa Koracin had 10 points for the Delta Devils (1-6), who have played six road games and lost them all, including stops at Utah State and Utah.
Nichols, Griffin, Williams, Aaron Jordan, Andres Feliz made two 3s apiece for the Illini, who have made at least 10 in five of six games this season. The Illini played its first game since losing all three in the Maui Invitational last week, although it played No. 3 Gonzaga within six points.
Illinois made nine 3s in the first half to take 45-29 edge and led by as many as 25 in the second half, when the Delta Devils never were closer than 14.
The Illini shot 51.6 percent from the field, including 16 of 30 from 3-point range, and had a 39-26 rebounding advantage.
Mississippi Valley State shot 46.0 percent, and it made missed nine of its last 11 shots in the first half as the Illini took control.
Frazier had 13 points and Nichols had all 12 in the first half, when Frazier's 3-pointer at the buzzer capped a 10-0 run for 45-29 lead.
--Field Level Media
Mississippi Valley State | Illinois | |
Jordan Evans 22 | Scoring | Trent Frazier 16 |
Tereke Eckwood 3 | Assists | Ayo Dosunmu 9 |
Emmanuel Ejeh 8 | Rebounds | Ayo Dosunmu 9 |
Jordan Evans 6 | Free Throws Made | Trent Frazier 2 |
Tereke Eckwood 1 | Steals | Ayo Dosunmu 2 |
Zachary Barnes 1 | Blocks | Giorgi Bezhanishvili 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Mississippi Valley State | 67 | 46.0 | 5-13 | 16-21 | 11 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
Illinois | 86 | 51.6 | 16-30 | 4-8 | 26 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 13 |