Western Illinois Leathernecks @ Illinois Fighting Illini
Shannon scores 19 to lead Illinois past Western Illinois, 84-52
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- — Terrence Shannon, Jr. scored 19 points as Illinois ended its six-game home stand to open the season by routing Western Michigan, 84-52 on Friday night.
Illinois has won five of its first six games with only a loss to No. 4 Marquette.
Luke Goode's 3-pointer eight minutes in put the Illini up 18-6. Illinois then held the Leathernecks scoreless over the final 4:30 of the first half to take a 40-23 advantage into intermission. The Western Illinois scoring drought lasted until Jesiah West hit a jumper three minutes in to make it 44-25.
Dain Dainja scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for Illinois. Quincy Guerrier added 10 points and had 15 rebounds.
James Dent Jr. scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds for Western Illinois (2-4). West scored 11 points, Ryan Myers 10 and Drew Cisse added 12 rebounds and scored eight points.
Illinois will have a week off to prepare for its Big Ten Conference opener at Rutgers Dec. 2. Western Illinois plays at Wisconsin Monday.
------
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here
------
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Game Information
Champaign, IL

Referee:Rob Kueneman
Referee:Bill Jacobson
Referee:Tariq Lucas

2025-26 Standings
| Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | 15-5 | - | 23-10 |
| Morehead State | 15-5 | - | 20-13 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 14-6 | 1 | 20-13 |
| UT Martin | 13-7 | 2 | 22-11 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 12-8 | 3 | 19-13 |
| Lindenwood | 11-9 | 4 | 18-15 |
| Little Rock | 9-11 | 6 | 12-20 |
| Tennessee Tech | 8-12 | 7 | 13-18 |
| Eastern Illinois | 8-12 | 7 | 13-20 |
| Southern Indiana | 4-16 | 11 | 7-23 |
| Western Illinois | 1-19 | 14 | 5-26 |
| Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 37-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-7 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-8 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 28-9 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 30-9 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 24-13 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-20 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |
Men's College Basketball News

CEO of NIL enforcement reminds schools: These are your rules
6h

Top-10 sophomore Mercer picks Cincinnati, to reclassify to 2027
7h

Kam Mercer announces commitment to Cincinnati
8h

