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Tracy Abrams led the way with 31 points, connecting on 7 of 8 three pointers, as Illinois defeated Central Michigan 92-73 on Saturday afternoon in Champaign. Illinois moves to 8-3 and Central Michigan falls to 8-3 on the season.
Leron Black also contributed well with 21 points on the night. Maverick Morgan added 11 points and seven rebounds, Malcolm Hill had 10 points and five rebounds with three assists, and Mike Thorne Jr. added eight more points and 11 rebounds to lead Illinois to this victory over CMU.
The nation’s leading scorer, Marcus Keene, led the Chippewas with 25 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing five assists. The other member of the Texas 2 Step Braylon Rayson added 18 points and four rebounds, and Josh Kozinski added 12 points on four three pointers.
Illinois shot 53.1% on the night, making 34 shots out of 64 attempts. The Illini also connected on 9 out of 21 attempts from beyond the arc, good for 42.9%. It seemed that no matter what shot the team took, it was going to go in.
Central Michigan struggled to keep pace with Illinois, as they shot just 36.8%, 25 of 68 from the field. 3MU connected on 13 of 38 from downtown, good for 36.8% on the night. The Chips were outmuscled on the glass as well, as Illinois outrebounded CMU 49 to 25 on the night.
Central Michigan was able to keep pace for a few minutes in the first half, but Illinois rattled of a 17-0 run to grab an early 32-16 lead and kept away from the Chips all night.
Central Michigan looks to bounce back after some rest as the Chippewas aren’t in action again until the 21st of December when they face the Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman, Montana. Tip is set for 9 p.m.