National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Illinois 75, Colgate 55
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 9, 2012
Where: Assembly Hall, Champaign, Illinois
Officials: # Larry Scirotto, # Tim Stewart, # Terry Wymer
Attendance: 14683
By SportsDirect Inc.


Illinois 75, Colgate 55: Brandon Paul recorded 20 points and added eight rebounds as the host Fighting Illini opened the John Groce era with a rout of the Raiders in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.

Tracy Abrams added 13 points for the Illini (1-0), which hit 13 3-pointers while implementing Groce's up-tempo system that helped him take Ohio to the Sweet 16 last season. Groce was hired to replace Bruce Weber, who was fired after nine seasons when Illinois lost 12 of its final 14 games and missed out on the NIT in 2011-12.

The early results are promising, though the win came against a team that was one of the worst in the nation last season. Illinois seized control early in the first half with a 21-2 run, which was capped by Paul's 3-pointer that gave the Fighting Illini a commanding 35-16 lead. Illinois led 43-25 at the break and extended the advantage to as much as 24 in the second half.

The Illini will play St. Francis (N.Y.) and Hawaii before facing the winner of Friday's Southern California/Elon matchup on Nov. 20.

Murphy Burnatowski scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half for Colgate (0-1).


GAME NOTEBOOK: Burnatowski shot 7-of-10 in the first half. The rest of his teammates were 2-of-15. ... Paul also had five assists. ... Nearly half of Illinois' field goal attempts came from beyond the arc (30 out of 74).

Top Game Performances
 
Colgate   Illinois
Murphy Burnatowski 23 Scoring Brandon Paul 20
Mitch Rolls 4 Assists Tracy Abrams 5
Matt McMullen 5 Rebounds Brandon Paul 8
John Brandenburg 2 Free Throws Made Myke Henry 2
Murphy Burnatowski 4 Steals Brandon Paul 2
John Brandenburg 2 Blocks Tracy Abrams 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Colgate 55 39.2 7-23 8-11 13 31 5 5 17
Illinois 75 39.2 13-30 4-10 14 46 2 5 12