IlliniGuys Staff

November 18, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

LAS VEGAS, Nev.  - Terrence Shannon Jr. hit 8 of 9 from three-point range on his way to a 29-point night as #19 Illinois rallied from 15 points down in the second half to stun 8th ranked UCLA, 79-70 in the Continental Tire Main Event semfinals.

Illinois (4-0) answered the bell in its first test against a ranked opponent.  UCLA went on a 10-0 run to end the first half with a 37-29 lead, assisted by 13 Illinois turnovers.

The Bruins (3-1) extended that lead early in the second half when Shannon took over.  The senior transfer from Texas Tech, who passed the 1,000-point mark for his career on this night, scored 19 of his points after halftime while hitting six of seven from beyond the arc.  Dain Dainja scored 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and Matt Mayer added 11.

Tyger Campbell scored 22 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 for UCLA, which shot just 38 percent from the field.

Illinois his 53% of its shots, including 12-of-25 from the three-point arc.

The Illini move on to face 16th ranked Virginia, which was an 86-79 winner over #5 Baylor.  That's a 2pm CT tipoff on Sunday on ESPN.

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