No. 3 Illinois routs Penn in second game of year

CHAMPAIGN — Andrej Stojavovic scored 25 points and Quentin Coleman had 19, including 15 in the second half, to lead No. 3 Illinois to a 112-70 victory Thursday over Penn.

Zavier Zens had 18 points, Ethan Brown had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Lincoln Williams had 12 points and nine rebounds in his collegiate debut and Stefan Vaaks tossed in 11 points for the Illini (2-0), who shot 59% from the field (43 of 73) and outrebounded Penn 62-33.

Illinois also scored in triple figures in its opener, beating Fairleigh Dickinson 120-45 on Monday.

Michael Zanoni scored 16 points for Penn (0-1) and Lucas Lueth had 14 points and three blocked shots.

Illinois led 53-30 at halftime. Stojakovic scored 21 points in the first half and Illinois outscored Penn 30-8 over the last 10:22 to break open a tight game.

The Illini played without returning starters David Mirkovic, an AP preseason All-American, and Jake Davis. Each is out indefinitely.

Mirkovic is recovering from foot surgery in August and an appendectomy Saturday. Davis suffered a separated shoulder early in the game vs. Fairleigh-Dickinson and underwent surgery Wednesday.

The Illini beat Penn 105-70 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game last season with Mirkovic scoring 29 points and collecting 17 rebounds and went on to play in the Final Four.

Ivy League preseason favorite Penn has four returning starters and seven of its top nine scorers back from last year's team, which won the league tournament and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.

Ex-Iowa coach Fran McCaffery is in his second year as the Quakers’ coach. Illinois was 16-11 against McCaffery in his 15 years in charge of the Hawkeyes.

Up next: Penn: Hosts Howard on Monday; Illinois: At No. 19 Texas Tech on Tuesday.

Loyola 76, West Georgia 53

Dayan Nessah had 15 points in Loyola’s 76-53 victory against West Georgia at Gentile Arena.

Nessah also added five rebounds for the Ramblers (2-0). Jason Schofield scored 12 points while finishing 6 of 7 from the floor, and added six rebounds. Jayden Dawson had 12 points and shot 4 for 8, including 3 for 7 from beyond the arc.

Lou Hutchinson finished with 16 points for the Wolves (0-2). Kenneth Chime added 14 points and six rebounds for West Georgia. Chas Lewless also had eight points.

Loyola Chicago took the lead with 19:22 remaining in the first half and did not trail again. Schofield led their team in scoring with 12 points in the first half to help put them up 42-29 at the break. Loyola Chicago extended its lead to 49-29 during the second half, fueled by a 7-0 scoring run. Guillaume Grotzinger scored a team-high seven points in the second half as their team closed out the win.

Up next: Both teams next play Wednesday. Loyola Chicago visits Air Force and West Georgia plays UNC Asheville at home.