Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Illinois 94, Southern California 64
When: 11:59 PM ET, Monday, November 19, 2012
Where: Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii
Officials: # Patrick Adams, # Roger Ayers, # Gary Maxwell
Attendance: 2400


Illinois 94, Southern California 64: Brandon Paul scored 26 points and the Fighting Illini shot 68.8 percent from the field in the first half to kick-start their opening-round rout at the Maui Invitational.

D.J. Richardson scored 10 of his 13 points in the opening 11 1/2 minutes, while the Trojans (2-1) committed nine of their 16 turnovers in that span, resulting in a 27-11 lead for Illinois (4-0).

Illinois closed the first half by converting its final 11 field-goal attempts, the last one of six 3-pointers by Paul, extending the lead to 57-26. The Fighting Illini shot 22-for-32 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes before cooling off and finishing 33-for-62 (53.2 percent).

Eric Wise scored 13 points to lead the Trojans, and Jio Fontan and J.T. Terrell had 11 apiece. USC cut a 34-point second-half deficit to 18 with 5:33 left, but that was as close as they would get.

Illinois will meet Chaminade, an upset winner against Texas, in the second semifinal Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET. USC will play the Longhorns in the loser’s bracket at 5.

GAME NOTEBOOK: After making nine 3-pointers last season, Illinois sophomore guard Tracy Abrams made his eighth of the season against the Trojans, finishing with 11 points, eight assists and eight turnovers. … Richardson sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give Illinois a one-point win at Hawaii on Friday night. … Terrell leads the Trojans in scoring at 12.6 points but is shooting only 30.7 percent from the field.
Top Game Performances
 
Southern California   Illinois
Eric Wise 13 Scoring Brandon Paul 26
Greg Allen 1 Assists Tracy Abrams 8
Aaron Fuller 5 Rebounds Tracy Abrams 6
Jio Fontan 5 Free Throws Made D.J. Richardson 5
Byron Wesley 3 Steals D.J. Richardson 4
James Blasczyk 1 Blocks Sam McLaurin 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Southern California 64 44.2 3-12 15-20 7 18 2 12 18
Illinois 94 53.2 13-29 15-17 17 39 1 11 20