Dain Dainja scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead No. 23 Illinois to an 86-48 win over Kansas City on Friday night.
Terrence Shannon Jr. added 14 points and five assists for the Illini (2-0).
Shemarri Allen led the Roos (0-3) with 20 points and eight rebounds on 9 of 19 shooting.
Shannon opened the scoring with a vicious dunk, but Illinois fell behind 9-5 early as it missed 17 of its first 18 shots.
Dainja broke the drought by getting a fadeaway jumper to go down and drawing a foul after grabbing an offensive rebound. He hit the ensuing free throw and Matthew Mayer drilled a 3 on the next possession, part of a 21-4 run the Illini pieced together to take a comfortable 17-point lead into the half.
The Roos missed 10 of their last 11 shots of the first half and shot 31.3% for the night.
Hawkins capped a 9-0 run with an emphatic slam in transition to put the game out of reach and give Illinois a 61-34 for Illinois with 11:38 left. Dainja rejected RayQuawndis Mitchell’s layup at the other end for good measure.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas City: The Roos made it difficult on the Illini early on with a strong effort on the glass and by mixing in some zone, despite being clearly outmatched. Coach Marvin Menzies’ group seems to lack perimeter shooters, which also showcased itself in a 59-56 loss to Division II Lincoln (Missouri) on Monday when the Roos went 5 of 25 from long distance.
Illinois: The result was hardly ever in question Friday, but this Illinois team seems to be struggling with shot selection so far against mid-major opponents. That will have to improve if the Illini are going to show well in Las Vegas in games against No. 12 Texas and either No. 5 Baylor or No. 18 Virginia later this month.
UP NEXT
Kansas City: Hosts Calvary Bible, which plays in the Association of Christian College Athletics, on Monday.
Illinois: Hosts Monmouth on Monday.
