Illinois crushes Penn 112-70 without two key starters

The top-ranked Illinois men's basketball team is 2-0 after dropping its second straight opponent by more than 40 points. The Illini defeated the Penn Quakers 112-70 on Thursday in Champaign, Ill., extending their winning streak on the back of a balanced offensive effort.

Andrej Stojakovic led the scoring with 25 points. Quentin Coleman added 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Zavier Zens contributed 18 points, while Ethan Brown recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lincoln Williams posted 12 points and nine rebounds in his first collegiate game, and Stefan Vaaks finished with 11.

Illinois shot 43 of 73 from the field for a 59% success rate. The team also controlled the glass, outrebounding Penn 62-33. The Illini led 53-30 at halftime. They broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 30-8 over a 10 minute and 22 second stretch.

Penn, the Ivy League preseason favorite, could not overcome the deficit. Michael Zanoni scored 16 points for the Quakers, while Lucas Lueth had 14 points and three blocked shots. Penn enters this season with four returning starters and seven of its top nine scorers back from a team that won the league tournament last year.

The Illini played without two returning starters. David Mirkovic, an AP preseason All-American, is recovering from foot surgery in August and an appendectomy performed Saturday. Jake Davis suffered a separated shoulder in the opener against Fairleigh Dickinson and underwent surgery Wednesday. Both players are out indefinitely.

Illinois previously beat Penn 105-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. That victory came in a run that saw the Illini reach the Final Four. Mirkovic scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in that game.

Illinois will travel to play No. 19 Texas Tech on Tuesday. Penn will host Howard on Monday.