Illinois scores 112 in blowout of Penn
The Illini shot 59 percent from the field and outrebounded the Ivy League team 62 to 33 despite missing two key starters.
By Christian Morales ·
No. 3 Illinois overcame the absence of two primary starters to defeat Penn 112 to 70 on Thursday in Champaign. The Illini dominated the box score with a 59 percent field goal percentage and a 62 to 33 rebounding advantage. Penn, the Ivy League preseason favorite, fell to 0 and 1 after a second consecutive loss this season.
Andrej Stojavovic led the offense with 25 points, while Quentin Coleman contributed 19, including 15 in the second half. Zavier Zens added 18 points for Illinois. Ethan Brown recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Lincoln Williams posted 12 points and nine rebounds in his collegiate debut. Stefan Vaaks finished with 11 points. The team shot 43 of 73 attempts from the field.
Penn relied on Michael Zanoni, who scored 16 points. Lucas Lueth added 14 points and three blocked shots for the Quakers. Illinois held a 53 to 30 lead at halftime. Stojavovic scored 21 of his 25 points in the first half. The Illini extended the margin by outscoring Penn 30 to 8 over the final 10 minutes and 22 seconds of the game.
Illinois played without David Mirkovic and Jake Davis, both returning starters. Mirkovic is recovering from foot surgery performed in August and an appendectomy on Saturday. Davis suffered a separated shoulder during the opener against Fairleigh Dickinson and underwent surgery on Wednesday. Both players are expected to be out indefinitely.
The Illini entered the game 2 and 0 after beating Fairleigh Dickinson 120 to 45 on Monday. That result followed a 120 point outburst in their first game of the season. Penn enters this matchup with four returning starters and seven of its top nine scorers from last year. The Quakers won the Ivy League tournament and earned an NCAA Tournament berth last season, their first since 2018.
Fran McCaffery is in his second year coaching Penn. Illinois was 16 and 11 against McCaffery during his 15 years at Iowa. Penn hosts Howard on Monday. Illinois travels to play No. 19 Texas Tech on Tuesday.
Loyola defeated West Georgia 76 to 53 at Gentile Arena. Dayan Nessah scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds for Loyola. Jason Schofield added 12 points and six rebounds. Jayden Dawson contributed 12 points. Lou Hutchinson led West Georgia with 16 points. Kenneth Chime added 14 points and six rebounds for the Wolves.
