CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 22 points and Dain Dainja had 16 as No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini came from behind with a 49-point second half to beat Valparaiso Beacons 87-64 on Friday night.
Luke Goode had 13 points for the Fighting Illini (3-1), and Ty Rodgers added 10.
Isaiah Stafford scored 30 points for Valparaiso, including 23 in the first half.
After leading by 10 in the first half, Valparaiso was up 45-38 at halftime. Shannon said the Illini had a player-led discussion in the locker room.
“Everyone had their say,” he said. “We knew what we needed to fix. Our effort and defensive intensity weren't there.”
Illinois coach Brad Underwood assigned Shannon to guard Stafford in the second half.
“I said, ‘I got him. I got No. 19,’" Shannon said. ”Coach Underwood calls me the best two-way player in the country. I wanted to show him I was."
Underwood didn't like what he saw from his team in the first half.
“If you don't play the right way, the game is a real struggle,” he said.
Cooper Schwieger and Jerome Palm each had 12 points and Jaxon Edwards pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds for the Beacons (2-2), whose first-year coach is former Illini forward Roger Powell Jr.
Powell said he was glad to be back at the State Farm Center after an 18-year absence, but he wanted to win the game.
“We played a great first half. But Illinois made a run, I knew they would, and they got real physical with us defensively. Plus, our guys ran out of gas. That's why we shot 9 for 45 in the second half," he said.
Illinois took over early in the second period with a 17-2 run.
Back-to-back buckets by Dainja drew the Illini to 51-49. Two 3-pointers by Goode, one by Shannon, and two drives to the basket by Shannon put Illinois in front 62-53.
The Illini were minus starting power forward Coleman Hawkins, who sat out with a sore knee, and they had to go deep into their bench early in the game because of foul trouble.
BIG PICTURE
Based on its first-half performance, Valparaiso served notice it could be a contender in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Illinois was plagued by turnovers in the first half, just like in a 71-64 loss Tuesday to No. 4 Marquette, but turned the ball over just twice in the second half.
WELCOME BACK
Powell was a fan favorite on the 2004-05 Illinois team that finished 37-2 and won Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships before losing to North Carolina in the NCAA title game.
He started all 39 games at power forward that season and averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds. He ranks sixth in Illini history in career field goal percentage at 57.2%.
HIS CALLING
Powell is a minister. He said he stopped playing professionally in Europe and turned to coaching at age 28 - he spent five years as a Valparaiso assistant and four years as a Gonzaga assistant - because he felt it was a calling from God and he has a passion to mentor young men.
PERFECT RECORD
Illinois is 8-0 vs. Valparaiso, with all the games played in Champaign. The previous meeting came in the first round of the 2017 NIT, when the second-seeded Illini won 82-57.
UP NEXT
Valparaiso: After playing their first road game of the season, the Beacons are back home Tuesday to face Western Illinois.
Illinois: Will play Southern on Sunday in the fifth game of a season-opening six-game homestand.
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1st Half
VALP
Beacons
45
ILL
Fighting Illini
38
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Jerome Palm vs. Ty Rodgers (Quincy Guerrier gains possession)
19:45
Isaiah Stafford blocks Ty Rodgers's two point layup
19:43
Isaiah Stafford defensive rebound
19:37
Isaiah Stafford misses three point jump shot
19:37
Jerome Palm offensive rebound
19:37
Terrence Shannon Jr. personal foul
19:37
+1
Jerome Palm makes regular free throw 1 of 2
1-0
19:37
Jerome Palm misses regular free throw 2 of 2
19:37
Quincy Guerrier defensive rebound
19:27
Marcus Domask misses three point jump shot
19:25
Jerome Palm defensive rebound
19:08
Darius DeAveiro misses two point layup
19:06
Cooper Schwieger offensive rebound
18:46
Dain Dainja blocks Cooper Schwieger's two point jump shot
18:44
Dain Dainja defensive rebound
18:44
Jerome Palm shooting foul (Ty Rodgers draws the foul)
18:44
+1
Ty Rodgers makes regular free throw 1 of 2
1-1
18:44
+1
Ty Rodgers makes regular free throw 2 of 2
1-2
18:29
Dain Dainja shooting foul (Cooper Schwieger draws the foul)
18:29
+1
Cooper Schwieger makes regular free throw 1 of 2
2-2
18:29
+1
Cooper Schwieger makes regular free throw 2 of 2
3-2
18:10
Justin Harmon turnover (Jerome Palm steals)
18:01
+2
Isaiah Stafford makes two point jump shot
5-2
17:43
Quincy Guerrier misses three point jump shot
17:41
Jerome Palm defensive rebound
17:25
Jaxon Edwards misses three point jump shot
17:23
Marcus Domask defensive rebound
17:15
+2
Dain Dainja makes two point dunk (Marcus Domask assists)
5-4
17:15
Dain Dainja technical foul
17:15
+1
Isaiah Stafford makes technical free throw 1 of 1
6-4
16:55
Darius DeAveiro misses two point jump shot
16:53
Cooper Schwieger offensive rebound
16:42
+2
Cooper Schwieger makes two point layup
8-4
16:34
Marcus Domask turnover (Isaiah Stafford steals)
16:28
+2
Isaiah Stafford makes two point layup
10-4
16:28
Marcus Domask turnover (Isaiah Stafford steals)
16:28
Isaiah Stafford misses two point layup
16:26
Jaxon Edwards offensive rebound
16:01
Jaxon Edwards misses two point dunk
15:59
Isaiah Stafford offensive rebound
15:36
+3
Isaiah Stafford makes three point jump shot
13-4
15:36
Quincy Guerrier misses three point jump shot
15:36
Dain Dainja offensive rebound
15:36
Jaxon Edwards blocks Marcus Domask's three point jump shot
15:36
Cooper Schwieger defensive rebound
15:36
Isaiah Stafford misses three point jump shot
15:34
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn defensive rebound
15:36
TV timeout
15:05
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot (Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn assists)
13-7
14:50
Ty Rodgers personal foul
14:37
Jaxon Edwards misses two point jump shot
14:35
Terrence Shannon Jr. defensive rebound
14:26
Cooper Schwieger shooting foul (Dain Dainja draws the foul)
14:26
Dain Dainja misses regular free throw 1 of 2
14:26
Dain Dainja misses regular free throw 2 of 2
14:26
Luke Goode offensive rebound
14:18
Dain Dainja misses two point jump shot
14:16
Ty Rodgers offensive rebound
14:08
+2
Ty Rodgers makes two point layup
13-9
14:02
Dain Dainja shooting foul (Isaiah Stafford draws the foul)
14:02
+1
Isaiah Stafford makes regular free throw 1 of 2
14-9
14:02
+1
Isaiah Stafford makes regular free throw 2 of 2
15-9
13:44
+3
Luke Goode makes three point jump shot (Ty Rodgers assists)
15-12
13:25
Jaxon Edwards turnover (Ty Rodgers steals)
13:12
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses three point jump shot
13:10
Amani Hansberry offensive rebound
13:02
Cooper Schwieger blocks Amani Hansberry's two point jump shot
13:00
Ola Ajiboye defensive rebound
13:00
+3
Isaiah Stafford makes three point jump shot
18-12
12:58
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn misses two point layup
12:56
Cooper Schwieger defensive rebound
12:42
Jahari Williamson misses two point jump shot
12:40
Amani Hansberry defensive rebound
12:29
Ty Rodgers offensive foul
12:29
Ty Rodgers turnover (offensive foul)
12:29
Isaiah Stafford misses two point jump shot
12:27
Amani Hansberry defensive rebound
12:12
Amani Hansberry misses two point jump shot
12:10
Luke Goode offensive rebound
12:01
Luke Goode misses two point layup
11:59
Jerome Palm defensive rebound
11:53
Jerome Palm misses two point layup
11:51
Justin Harmon defensive rebound
11:48
Ola Ajiboye shooting foul
11:38
TV timeout
11:36
+1
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
18-13
11:36
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses regular free throw 2 of 2
11:36
Justin Harmon offensive rebound
11:21
Luke Goode misses three point jump shot
11:19
Ola Ajiboye defensive rebound
11:10
Sherman Weatherspoon IV misses three point jump shot
11:08
Luke Goode defensive rebound
10:44
+2
Amani Hansberry makes two point jump shot (Terrence Shannon Jr. assists)
18-15
10:36
Amani Hansberry personal foul
10:25
+2
Jerome Palm makes two point jump shot
20-15
10:00
Ola Ajiboye blocks Luke Goode's three point jump shot
9:59
Darius DeAveiro defensive rebound
9:59
Ola Ajiboye offensive foul
9:59
Ola Ajiboye turnover (offensive foul)
9:48
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses three point jump shot
9:46
Darius DeAveiro defensive rebound
9:28
+2
Cooper Schwieger makes two point jump shot
22-15
8:56
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot
22-18
8:51
Terrence Shannon Jr. personal foul
8:51
+1
Sherman Weatherspoon IV makes regular free throw 1 of 2
23-18
8:51
+1
Sherman Weatherspoon IV makes regular free throw 2 of 2