[NCarmean18Participant]

The Orange and Blue started off their new-look team with some shaky performances, but they went in at halftime leading 35-32 and they never looked back.

The Illini went on a tear in the second half, outscoring Wayne State 44-19 in the second half, and taking the victory 79-51.  The Illini played good ball all-around.  Many wondered about the lack of chemistry between these young players, but they seemed right at home, playing with great teamwork.

Highly-reguarded sophomore center Meyers Leonard lead the Illini in scoring with 18 points on 7-10 shooting and 4-4 from the free throw line.  Other Illini Brandon Paul (16), D.J. Richardson (11), & Freshman Nnanna Egwu (10) all scored in double-digets.  Freshman forward Mike Shaw grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds and freshman Tracy Abrams lead the way with 5 assists. 

You know this was a positive step for the team, as well as for head coach Bruce Weber, as the Illini got to the free throw line 36 times, while forcing 21 turnovers, and having almost a 2:1 assist-turnover ratio.  So overall, there was a lot of good, and not a lot of bad as the Illini shot 49.1% from the field.  The only thing they could have worked on this game was their free-throw shooting as they went 23-36, shooting at 63.8% from behind the free throw line.

The Illini are hoping that they can take the positives from this game and keep playing well down the road.

[omphalosParticipant]

Nice to see Meyers Leonard playing well, he could well be a starting calibre C in the NBA if he reaches his potential.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

I see meyers leonard as a new scott pollard… that’s to say a great backup who can contribute well for 25 min.

Strong in D, and tough on the off rebounds.

A perfect late first round pick. 

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

 i thought this was wayne state from michigan

[Author]

Posts