CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — David Mirkovic scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on Monday night as No. 17 Illinois opened the season with a 113-55 win over Jackson State.
Mirkovic, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward from Montenegro, is one of four new international players on the Illinois roster this season.
Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic each had 21 points, Keaton Wagler had 18, and Jake Davis had 13 for Illinois, which was the highest scoring team in the Big Ten last year. Zvonimir Ivisic had nine rebounds.
Devin Ree scored 19 points and Daeshun Ruffin added 12 for the Tigers, who shot 30.6% from the field. Ruffin was the top scorer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season and the conference’s pre-season player of the year.
The Illini made 17 3-pointers and outrebounded Jackson State 61-19 despite missing four players with injuries — Brandon Lee, Andrej Stojakovic, Ty Rodgers and Mihailo Petrovic.
A 17-point run early in the game gave Illinois a 60-27 halftime lead. The Illini had 10 3-pointers in the first half.
Jackson State is playing nine of its first 10 games on the road. During the stretch, the Tigers will face seven teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season and five preseason Top 25 teams, including No. 2 Houston.
Up next
Jackson State: At No. 11 Louisville on Thursday night.
Illinois: Home vs. Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
By STEVE STEIN
Associated Press
