Illinois head and shoulders about SIU-E
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Illinois was clearly head and shoulders above its competition Monday night.
The Illini took advantage of a substantial height difference against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, with forward Tyler Griffey and center Meyers Leonard having career rebounding nights in a 66-46 victory.
The Illini (2-0) totaled 48 rebounds, more than in any game all last season, and blocked 11 shots. The 6-foot-8 Griffey had 14 rebounds and the 7-1 Leonard had 11 as both set career highs.
"We have a lot of length and a lot of athleticism," coach Bruce Weber said. "We're playing a little bit smaller teams right now. If we do this in the Big Ten, that'll be impressive."
The Cougars (2-1), who have only one player taller than 6-6, were led by 13 points from Mark Yelovich and 12 from Corey Wickware. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville fell to 0-11 all time against Big Ten opponents, suffering its first defeat of the season after winning its first two games and two exhibitions.
Griffey finished with 10 points, giving the junior his first career double-double.
"There's always talk about our big men doing more," Griffey said. "Balls were coming right to me, and I was able to get myself in the right position."
A pair of 7-0 runs gave Illinois a 26-23 advantage heading into halftime. Guard D.J. Richardson led the way with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the opening half, including going 3 for 4 from behind the arc.
Richardson, who struggled in Friday's regular-season opener against Loyola with a 1-for-8 shooting performance, led all scorers with 20 points, tying a career high.
The junior guard arrived an hour earlier than usual to the shootaround to get some extra shots, which Weber and Richardson agreed was the key to the turnaround.
"That's part of maturity," Weber said. "You're rewarded if you do those things. If you put the extra time in, you make shots."
After the Cougars pulled within seven midway through the second half, Leonard scored six points during an 11-0 run that broke the game open as the Illini took a 55-37 lead. The sophomore finished with eight points and five blocked shots.
The Illini put the game away despite turning the ball over 13 times in the second half, finishing with 22.
"We can watch film and work on passing and catching in practice," Weber said. "We need to get to know each other a little bit."
After Richardson's offensive struggles in the last game, it was junior Brandon Paul's turn Monday. Widely regarded as the team's top offensive weapon, Paul finished with seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.
"I think he just thinks the game is going to just come," Weber said. "He's going to have to play harder, be more active."
The Illini also debuted a high-energy full-court press throughout the game, which continually took the Cougars out of their rhythm. Illinois limited Southern Illinois-Edwardsville to 30 percent shooting.
The game marked each team's first game of the Cancun Challenge, which includes eight Division I teams. Eight games are played in the U.S. and then eight in Cancun, Mexico.
Both teams resume play in the Challenge on Thursday, with Illinois facing Lipscomb and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville visiting Illinois State.