Associated Press, December 13, 2017
Champaign, Ill. (AP) Aaron Jordan scored 22 points, Trent Frazier added 20, and Illinois beat Longwood 92-45 on Wednesday night.
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Michael Finke scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He hit the first basket of the game on a baseline jumper, buried his first two shots from downtown, and scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half.
The Lancers held a 12-10 lead with roughly 12 minutes remaining in the first half, but after a 3 by Finke, Longwood would never take the lead again. Illinois finished the half on an 18-4 run and entered the break with a 26-point lead.
Jordan, who leads the Illini with 29 made 3-pointers, was 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Illinois (8-4) outrebounded Longwood 52 to 23 and shot 51.4 percent in the first half.
Longwood (3-7) committed 24 turnovers and struggled to operate under Illinois' pressure. The Lancers shot 34 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and hit 16 field goals.
JaShaun Smith scored 10 points for the Lancers (3-7). Leading scorer Isaiah Walton, averaging 18.9 points per game, was held to four points in 14 minutes before leaving the game with a lower leg injury.
BIG PICTURE
Longwood: The Lancers are on a two-game losing streak after a blowout loss to the Illini. The 47-point defeat is Longwood's largest of the season. Depending on the extent of Walton's injury, the Lancers may find it hard to bounce back.
Illinois: The Illini took care of business without starter LeRon Black and key reserve Kipper Nichols. Black is Illinoi's leading scorer, but Jordan looked comfortable in his first start of the season and showed that he can fill the scoring void in Black's absence.
UP NEXT
Illinois: The Illini will have a few days off before heading to Chicago on Saturday. Illinois is scheduled to face New Mexico in the Dynegy Shootout.
Longwood: The Lancers head home for a matchup with Cornell on Saturday. The Big Red is led by Matt Morgan who is averaging 22.9 points and four rebounds per game.
