CHAMPAIGN —
Illinois sophomore Meyers Leonard scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Fighting Illini to a 79-51 victory over the Wayne State Wildcats in a preseason exhibition game at the Assembly Hall.
Leonard, who came off the bench, had all nine of his second-half points during a 22-1 run for Illinois who outscored Wayne State 44-19 in the second half.
“I was a little more involved in the second half,” said Leonard, who also had all four of his rebounds in the final 20 minutes. “I didn’t have any rebounds in the first half, which I was disappointed in myself for that.
“But I came out in the second half with a nose for the ball and I kept my energy high.”
Illinois coach Bruce Weber pointed out that Leonard’s play in the second half is more of what he is expecting from the 7-foot-1 center from Robinson.
“That rebounding is something we have got to get from him,” Weber said. “He had nine points in both halves, but he got four rebounds in the second half.”
The Fighting Illini struggled with the Wildcats for the first 21 minutes, as Wayne State actually took a 37-35 lead on a 3-pointer from Vontrell Seroyer with 18 minutes, 52 seconds left in the contest.
“We got off to a slow start,” said Illinois junior guard Brandon Paul, who was second in scoring with 16 points. “This is a new experience for everyone. We are all taking different roles.”
Weber pointed out that was evident when the starting lineups were announced.
“We had guys that didn’t know where to go or what to do,” he said. “They were shaking hands with the officials, not knowing if they were supposed to shake hands with the opposing player.
“They looked like chickens with their heads cut off.”
But in the second half, Weber saw some positive steps from his squad.
Illinois responded by outscoring Wayne State 14-0, which was part of the 22-1 run.
“We showed a little maturity by responding that way,” Weber said. “I also think we wore them down a little bit.
“They had five kids from Illinois on their roster and they came out hard.”
The Illini put the game away with a 16-0 run down the stretch, Paul ignited the sequence with a 3-pointer.
Former Danville High letterwinner Ayron Worthington got the start at forward for Wayne State.
Worthington, a junior, who played the past two seasons at Black Hawk College didn’t score, but he contributed an assist and a blocked shot in the contest.
Illinois played without senior guard Sam Maniscalco and freshman guard Myke Henry for injury reasons, while sophomore guard Crandall Head did not play for disciplinary reasons.
Illinois will conclude its two-game exhibition season next Monday against Quincy University.
Tip off at the Assembly Hall is set for 7:30 p.m.
Sports
Related Photos
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Illinois' Brandon Paul guards Wayne State's Adol Aluong during Tuesday night's exhibition game at the Assembly Hall. Matt Huber/Commercial-News
Discussion
Illini cruises to win
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