Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as No. 17 Illinois rolled to a 113-55 victory over Jackson State on Monday night in Champaign, Ill.
Playing without starters Mihailo Petrovic (hamstring) and Andrej Stojakovic (knee), the Fighting Illini jumped to a 24-3 lead in the opening seven minutes and sprinted the distance to win their 10th straight opener and 26th in the last 27 years.
Humrichous drilled 5 of 9 3-point attempts off the bench as Illinois finished 17 of 37 from 3-point range to finish one 3-pointer shy of the school’s single-game record. Illinois also grabbed the game’s first 11 rebounds on the way to a 61-19 advantage on the boards.
Freshman David Mirkovic recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds in his college debut — achieving a double-double in the first half — while freshman Keaton Wagler added 18 points and four assists, Jake Davis contributed 13 points and Kylan Boswell notched 10.
Devin Ree paced Jackson State with 19 points before fouling out. Point guard Daeshun Ruffin, the SWAC’s preseason player of the year, was limited to 12 points and 1 assist.
Mirkovic drilled two 3-pointers and a layup in the first three minutes to set the tone. Davis, Humrichous and Ivisic followed with 3-pointers and Humrichous’ pair of free throws at the 13:40 mark pushed Illinois’ lead to 24-3.
Illinois canned 10 of 19 from 3-point range in the first half to take a 60-27 lead into the locker room. Jackson State scratched first in the second half on Ree’s steal and 3-pointer, but Wagler and Davis answered with 3-pointers as the Illini continued to build its lead throughout the second half.
Illinois cracked the century mark on Ivisic’s putback with 5:30 left that made it 100-50, and the Fighting Illini gained its biggest lead with 1:32 to play on AJ Redd’s layup.
–Field Level Media
