Terrence Shannon Jr. scores 30, No. 13 Illinois cruises to 97-73 win over Missouri
AP
Dec 23, 2023
ST. LOUIS (AP) Terrence Shannon Jr. had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Quincy Guerrier continued a hot stretch with a career-best 28 points and No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini beat Missouri Tigers 97-73 in the Braggin’ Rights rivalry game on Friday night.
Coleman Hawkins scored 15 and was the first to grab the trophy when it was brought onto the court after the final buzzer. The Illini (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten) gathered in a huddle, hoisted the symbol of their triumph and stomped their feet in celebration.
“He truly has a great understanding and appreciation for this game and what the Braggin’ Rights is all about,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said of Hawkins. “He did an unbelievable job of remembering the tough night we had last year and helping in preparation for our guys this year.”
Missouri had its most lopsided victory in the series last year, when it built a 35-point lead on its way to a 93-71 win. But this time the Tigers missed 16 of their first 17 tries from 3-point range while falling behind 49-24 at halftime.
“There was a little bit of juice, obviously, because of how bad they beat us last year,” said Shannon, who eclipsed 20 points for the seventh time in his last nine games.
Sean East II had 15 of his 18 points in the second half to lead the Tigers (7-5), who lost their third straight. Freshman Trent Pierce scored 12 in his first career start.
Missouri coach Dennis Gates said his team hasn't been able to take advantage of coming away with a win against ranked nonconference opponents.
“I truly believe that we have been going in the right direction," he said. "I’m not going to rip things apart or make these guys feel like something’s wrong with them.”
Shannon limped slightly after getting tangled up with Tamar Bates in the backcourt late in the second half, but he waved off any treatment during a timeout and briefly returned to the court before coming out to a loud ovation.
Guerrier added his fifth 3-pointer, a season-high, before joining him on the bench with the Illini up 28.
“They have skill all over the court. They have guys that can play in versatile ways, and these guys are battle tested,” said Gates, who grew up in Chicago and compared this Illini group to the Kendall Gill-led squad that reached the Final Four in 1989. “They are battle tested. You look at their experience: Most of them have played close to 100 games already.”
The veteran trio of Shannon, Guerrier and Hawkins scored 29 of Illinois’ first 31 points to set the tone.
“I think it’s pretty nice to have 23-year-olds that have been in the weight room for five years and have been through some things,” Underwood said.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Illini suddenly look like a much deeper team with Guerrier entering the mix. After averaging just 6.3 points in his first eight games, Guerrier went off for 22 against Tennessee and has averaged 21.7 points in Illinois’ last three games. Guerrier split the first four years of his career between Syracuse and Oregon.
RIVALRY RENEWAL
Before the game, the schools announced a six-year extension of the series that will keep the annual rivalry game in St. Louis through 2029. It started in 1980 and has been played in St. Louis every year since 1983, with the exception of 2020, when it was relocated to Missouri’s home arena due to the coronavirus pandemic.
NEXT UP
Missouri: Returns home to complete nonconference play Dec. 30 against Central Arkansas.
Illinois: Hosts Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 29 in its final nonconference game.
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1st Half
ILL
Fighting Illini
49
MIZZ
Tigers
24
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Coleman Hawkins vs. Trent Pierce (Sean East II gains possession)
19:40
+2
Noah Carter makes two point jump shot
0-2
19:21
+2
Coleman Hawkins makes two point layup
2-2
19:09
Trent Pierce misses three point jump shot
19:07
Ty Rodgers defensive rebound
19:01
Noah Carter shooting foul (Terrence Shannon Jr. draws the foul)
19:01
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:01
+1
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
3-2
18:39
Noah Carter misses two point jump shot
18:37
Terrence Shannon Jr. defensive rebound
18:32
+2
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes two point layup
5-2
18:32
Nick Honor personal foul (Terrence Shannon Jr. draws the foul)
18:32
+1
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1
6-2
18:21
Terrence Shannon Jr. personal foul (Noah Carter draws the foul)
18:11
+2
Trent Pierce makes two point layup
6-4
17:48
Marcus Domask misses three point jump shot
17:45
Tigers defensive rebound
17:19
Ty Rodgers blocks Noah Carter's three point jump shot
17:17
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
17:11
+3
Quincy Guerrier makes three point jump shot (Terrence Shannon Jr. assists)
9-4
17:04
Trent Pierce misses three point jump shot
17:02
Quincy Guerrier defensive rebound
16:54
Marcus Domask misses three point jump shot
16:52
Noah Carter defensive rebound
16:36
Noah Carter misses three point jump shot
16:34
Marcus Domask defensive rebound
16:29
Quincy Guerrier misses three point jump shot
16:27
Coleman Hawkins offensive rebound
16:10
Trent Pierce personal foul (Quincy Guerrier draws the foul)
16:10
+1
Quincy Guerrier makes regular free throw 1 of 2
10-4
16:10
+1
Quincy Guerrier makes regular free throw 2 of 2
11-4
15:53
+3
Sean East II makes three point jump shot
11-7
15:36
+3
Coleman Hawkins makes three point jump shot (Justin Harmon assists)
14-7
15:18
Sean East II turnover (lost ball) (Coleman Hawkins steals)
15:12
Connor Vanover blocks Terrence Shannon Jr.'s three point jump shot
15:10
Noah Carter defensive rebound
15:06
Coleman Hawkins shooting foul (Tamar Bates draws the foul)
15:06
TV timeout
15:06
+1
Tamar Bates makes regular free throw 1 of 2
14-8
15:06
+1
Tamar Bates makes regular free throw 2 of 2
14-9
14:42
Ty Rodgers misses two point jump shot
14:40
Nick Honor defensive rebound
14:28
Sean East II misses two point jump shot
14:26
Tigers offensive rebound
14:11
Tamar Bates misses two point jump shot
14:07
Fighting Illini defensive rebound
14:00
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses three point jump shot
13:58
Terrence Shannon Jr. offensive rebound
13:56
Luke Goode misses three point jump shot
13:54
Anthony Robinson II defensive rebound
13:44
Tamar Bates misses two point jump shot
13:41
Connor Vanover offensive rebound
13:36
Connor Vanover misses three point jump shot
13:34
Marcus Domask defensive rebound
13:11
Marcus Domask misses two point jump shot
13:09
Aidan Shaw defensive rebound
12:49
Connor Vanover misses three point jump shot
12:47
Justin Harmon defensive rebound
12:41
+2
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes two point layup
16-9
12:41
Tamar Bates shooting foul (Terrence Shannon Jr. draws the foul)
12:41
+1
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1
17-9
12:30
Noah Carter misses three point jump shot
12:28
Terrence Shannon Jr. defensive rebound
12:16
+3
Quincy Guerrier makes three point jump shot (Terrence Shannon Jr. assists)
20-9
12:12
Tigers 60 second timeout
12:00
TV timeout
12:00
+2
Aidan Shaw makes two point layup (Noah Carter assists)
20-11
11:40
+2
Marcus Domask makes two point layup
22-11
11:37
Sean East II misses two point jump shot
11:35
Quincy Guerrier defensive rebound
11:23
+2
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes two point jump shot (Coleman Hawkins assists)
24-11
11:12
+2
Nick Honor makes two point jump shot
24-13
11:01
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot (Marcus Domask assists)
27-13
10:27
Terrence Shannon Jr. blocks Noah Carter's three point jump shot
10:27
Tigers offensive rebound
10:27
Tigers turnover (shot clock violation)
10:05
Coleman Hawkins misses three point jump shot
10:03
Quincy Guerrier offensive rebound
10:01
Quincy Guerrier turnover (lost ball)
9:43
Nick Honor misses two point jump shot
9:41
Noah Carter offensive rebound
9:35
+2
Noah Carter makes two point layup
27-15
9:24
+3
Coleman Hawkins makes three point jump shot (Ty Rodgers assists)
30-15
9:11
Jordan Butler misses three point jump shot
9:09
Ty Rodgers defensive rebound
9:04
Coleman Hawkins misses two point layup
9:02
Terrence Shannon Jr. offensive rebound
9:01
Noah Carter personal foul (Terrence Shannon Jr. draws the foul)
9:01
+1
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
31-15
9:01
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses regular free throw 2 of 2
9:01
Curt Lewis defensive rebound
8:56
+2
Curt Lewis makes two point layup
31-17
8:56
Marcus Domask shooting foul (Curt Lewis draws the foul)
8:56
+1
Curt Lewis makes regular free throw 1 of 1
31-18
8:46
Coleman Hawkins misses three point jump shot
8:44
Curt Lewis defensive rebound
8:37
Curt Lewis misses two point layup
8:35
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
8:22
Curt Lewis personal foul (Marcus Domask draws the foul)
8:01
+2
Luke Goode makes two point layup (Coleman Hawkins assists)
33-18
8:00
TV timeout
7:40
Trent Pierce misses three point jump shot
7:38
Fighting Illini defensive rebound
7:22
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses three point jump shot
7:20
Trent Pierce defensive rebound
7:20
Ty Rodgers personal foul (Trent Pierce draws the foul)
7:09
Curt Lewis misses three point jump shot
7:07
Terrence Shannon Jr. defensive rebound
6:50
+2
Coleman Hawkins makes two point jump shot (Marcus Domask assists)
35-18
6:36
Ty Rodgers personal foul (Sean East II draws the foul)
6:29
Anthony Robinson II misses two point jump shot
6:27
Noah Carter offensive rebound
6:23
+2
Noah Carter makes two point layup
35-20
6:04
+3
Coleman Hawkins makes three point jump shot (Terrence Shannon Jr. assists)
38-20
5:43
Sean East II misses two point layup
5:41
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
5:31
Marcus Domask misses three point jump shot
5:29
Anthony Robinson II defensive rebound
5:17
Sean East II misses three point jump shot
5:15
Marcus Domask defensive rebound
5:08
Anthony Robinson II personal foul (Terrence Shannon Jr. draws the foul)
5:08
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 1
5:08
Noah Carter defensive rebound
4:40
Noah Carter misses two point layup
4:38
Jesus Carralero Martin offensive rebound
4:35
Jesus Carralero Martin misses two point layup
4:33
Amani Hansberry defensive rebound
4:24
+2
Marcus Domask makes two point jump shot
40-20
3:56
Anthony Robinson II misses two point jump shot
3:54
Quincy Guerrier defensive rebound
3:46
Justin Harmon misses three point jump shot
3:44
Anthony Robinson II defensive rebound
3:37
Tamar Bates misses three point jump shot
3:28
Amani Hansberry defensive rebound
3:25
+3
Quincy Guerrier makes three point jump shot (Terrence Shannon Jr. assists)
43-20
3:25
Jesus Carralero Martin shooting foul (Quincy Guerrier draws the foul)