No. 11 Illinois routs Fairleigh Dickinson 104-71 in first game without leading scorer Shannon
Ty Rodgers had 10 points and 15 rebounds to lead No. 11 Illinois to a 104-71 rout of Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday night, the Illini's first game without standout Terrance Shannon Jr.
Shannon, the No. 8 scorer in the nation who is averaging 21.7 points, was suspended by Illinois this week after he was charged with rape for an alleged incident that happened when the Illinois football team played at Lawrence, Kansas, in September.
Dain Dainja scored 19 points, Coleman Hawkins and Justin Harmon each had 18, Quincy Guerrier added 14 and Marcus Domask 11 for the Illini (10-2). Harmon made a career-high four 3-pointers.
Fairleigh Dickinson (6-8) trailed the entire game and fell behind by as many as 40 points. Ansley Almonor led the Knights with 20 points. DeVante Jamison had 11 and Sean Moore 10.
Illinois, which leads the nation in rebounds per game at 45.6, outrebounded the Fairleigh Dickinson 54-27. Guerrier had 11 rebounds in his third double-double of the season. The Illini have outrebounded 10 of their 12 opponents.
Fueled by a 14-0 run late in the first half that featured a three 3-pointers by Harmon, the Illini led 48-28 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Fairleigh Dickinson: Already a massive underdog against a talented, deep, veteran Illinois team, the Knights also had to deal with an emotionally charged Illini squad that suddenly lost its best player to a suspension two days before the game.
Illinois: Playing their first game minus Shannon, the Illini looked ragged at the start, but their balanced scoring and rebounding were more than enough to turn back a feisty mid-major opponent.
UP NEXT
Fairleigh Dickinson: The Knights will play at Merrimack on Thursday in their Northeast Conference opener.
Illinois: The Illini will take on in-state rival Northwestern at home Tuesday in a Big Ten game.
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