Rich McBride returns, Illini rout Savannah State

Chester Frazier had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists and Illinois held Savannah State to just 10-of-40 shooting Tuesday night on the way to an 81-34 Illini victory. Illinois stuck with its three-guard lineup but the Tigers started two players under 6-foot, giving the Illini a match-up advantage they used to hold Savannah State in a game-long scoring slump. Illinois took a 33-11 lead into halftime, then went on a 14-3 run to build a 47-14 advantage with 14:16 to play. By the 10 minute mark, Illinois was up 58-17. Javon Randolph led the Tigers with 9 points, including 3-of-4 free-throw shooting. Savannah State`s tallest player, 6-foot-9 reserve forward Bjorn Bohley, found himself in foul trouble early and scored just three points playing scattered minutes throughout the game. Illinois opened scoring on a short jumper from sophomore Shaun Pruitt, who stepped up with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Lazarius Coleman made a jump shot to tie it at 2-2 before Illinois went on a 12-point run. Savannah State put one more point on the board when Joseph Flegler split a pair of free throws. Illinois added five more points, bringing the score to 20-3, before Savannah State made its second shot from the floor - a lay up from Josh Obiajunwa with 7:03 left in the half. Illinois shot 42.9 percent in the first half, compared to Savannah State`s 14.3 percent, and finished at 47 percent from the field for the game. Illinois` big men kept Savannah State`s second chances to a minimum early on, collecting 16 defensive rebounds in the first half compared to the Tigers` 4 offensive boards. Guard Rich McBride had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists in his first game back for Illinois. McBride had been suspended following a DUI arrest in September.