By JEFF LATZKE Associated Press
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 beat Missouri 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.
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
