Illinois routs Penn 112-70 behind 59 percent shooting

No. 3 Illinois defeated Penn 112-70 on Thursday, extending its winning streak to two games with a performance anchored by 59 percent field goal shooting and a 62-33 rebounding advantage. Andrej Stojakovic led the scoring with 25 points, while Quentin Coleman contributed 19, including 15 in the second half.

The Illini built an early cushion, leading 53-30 at the break. Stojakovic scored 21 of his total points in the first half. A 30-8 run over the final 10 minutes and 22 seconds of the game widened the margin and secured the victory for the 2-0 team.

Zavier Zens added 18 points for Illinois. Ethan Brown finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Lincoln Williams recorded 12 points and nine rebounds in his first collegiate game. Stefan Vaaks contributed 11 points. The Illini made 43 of 73 field goal attempts.

Illinois played without returning starters David Mirkovic and Jake Davis. Mirkovic, an AP preseason All-American, is recovering from foot surgery performed in August and an appendectomy performed Saturday. Davis suffered a separated shoulder during Monday's 120-45 win over Fairleigh Dickinson and had surgery Wednesday. Both players are out indefinitely.

Penn, the Ivy League preseason favorite, dropped its first game of the season. Michael Zanoni scored 16 points and Lucas Lueth added 14 points and three blocked shots. The Quakers enter the game with four returning starters and seven of their top nine scorers from last year, a squad that won the league tournament and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.

Penn coach Fran McCaffery is in his second season with the team. Illinois was 16-11 against McCaffery during his 15 years at Iowa. The Illini previously beat Penn 105-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, a game where Mirkovic recorded 29 points and 17 rebounds before the team reached the Final Four.

Penn hosts Howard on Monday. Illinois travels to play No. 19 Texas Tech on Tuesday.