No. 3 Illinois Dominates FDU 120-45 With Record 19 Three-Pointers

The No. 3 Fighting Illini Football team opened their season with a blowout victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University, 120-45 on Monday night, IPM Newsroom reported.

Right from the opening tip, Illinois established a suffocating defensive rhythm that turned the game into a runaway early. The Illini ripped off a 19-point scoring run while holding the Knights scoreless for the first four minutes of the contest. A thunderous dunk by freshman guard Quentin Coleman sent the home crowd into a frenzy, prompting FDU to burn their first timeout of the evening.

Illinois Sinks Nineteen Three-Pointers in Record-Breaking Performance

The offense clicked on all cylinders, driven by a barrage from beyond the arc. Illinois set a program record by sinking 19 three-pointers out of 51 attempts. Eight different Illini players cracked the scoring column before halftime, building a nearly 50-point cushion by the break. FDU struggled mightily to find any offensive rhythm against the relentless full-court press, shooting just 6% from 3-point range on 17 attempts in the first half.

#Illini 62 FDU 17. 1:36 1H. 3-pointer by Stefan Vaaks extends the Illini run to 24-0 over the last 5:09. FDU is 1-for-16 from three, 8-for-19 from the floor. Total rebounds Illinois 35 FDU 9. Second chance points Illinois 18 FDU 0.

— https://x.com/IllinoisRivals/status/2117433309261369789

Even as the score mounted, the Illini rotation faced health hurdles. Senior forward Jake Davis headed to the locker room holding his left shoulder after colliding with FDU in a screen. The setback adds to an already injured Illinois roster that recently had to handle an emergency appendix removal for sophomore forward David Mirkovic prior to the season opener.

Coleman and Sojakovic Lead Illinois in Dominant Rebounding Victory

Coleman seized his opportunity in his debut, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Andrej Sojakovic and sophomore guard Stefan Vaaks paced the Illinois offense with 20 points apiece, anchoring a night where six different players reached double figures.

Illinois andrej stojakovic during the first half of an ncaa college basketball game against long island saturday nov in champ

The hosts dominated the glass just as thoroughly as the scoreboard. Illinois grabbed 65 total rebounds to FDU’s 21, including 22 offensive boards that translated into 31 second-chance points. In total, the Illini pulled down more rebounds than the Knights managed to score.

Upcoming Rematch at State Farm Center

The schedule turns quickly for the Illini. They return to the State Farm Center floor this week to host Penn on Thursday at 7:30 PM in an NCAA Round 1 rematch.