CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Leron Black scored 17 points and Kipper Nichols had 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench Sunday to lead Illinois past Marshall 91-74.
The Illini (4-0) opened up 23-point lead, 66-43, with 12 mintues left in the game on a jump shot by Nichols. The Thundering Herd (4-2) never threatened again.
The Illini held Marshall leading scorer Jon Elmore to 14 points. Elmore entered the game averaging 28.3 points. He was 2-of-11 shooting on the night, including 0 of 5 in the second half.
Jarrod West led Marshall with 22 points.
Mark Smith and Michael Finke added 13 each for Illinois.
The Illini used big advantages in bench scoring and rebounding to close out the Herd. The Illini outrebounded Marshall 45-20 and had 42 points off the bench to the Herd’s 10.
Easy win aside, first-year Illinois coach Frank Underwood was clearly frustrated by his team’s inconsistencies on both ends of the court.
“What am I seeing? What am I seeing?” he yelled to the scorer’s table after one possession, following that up with an order to his team as they brought the ball back up the court. “I want to see a good shot down here! I want to see a little toughness!”
