CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Aaron Jordan scored 19 points and Ayo Dosunmu added 18 as Illinois beat Evansville 99-60 in the season opener for both teams Thursday night.
The Illini played an up-tempo game utilizing nearly every player on the bench. The Aces turned the ball over 25 times, leading to 32 Illini points.
"They were very physical," said Evansville coach Walter McCarty. "But 25 turnovers? You can't win games with numbers like that."
Andres Feliz and Kipper Nichols added 16 and 13 points respectively for the Illini. Freshman center Giorgi Bezhanishvili grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.