CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — David Mirkovic scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on Monday night as No. 17 Illinois opened the season with a dominant 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. He was a key contributor alongside teammates Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic, who each scored 21 points. Keaton Wagler added 18 points, and Jake Davis chipped in 13 for Illinois, which was the highest-scoring team in the Big Ten last year. Zvonimir Ivisic also made his presence felt with nine rebounds.
For the Tigers, Devin Ree led the scoring with 19 points, while Daeshun Ruffin added 12. Ruffin was last season’s top scorer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and was named the conference’s preseason player of the year. However, Jackson State struggled offensively, shooting just 30.6% from the field.
Illinois was especially sharp from beyond the arc, making 17 three-pointers in the game and hitting 10 in the first half alone. The Illini outrebounded Jackson State by a wide margin, 61-19, despite missing four players due to injuries: Brandon Lee, Andrej Stojakovic, Ty Rodgers, and Mihailo Petrovic. An early 17-point run helped Illinois take a commanding 60-27 lead by halftime.
Jackson State faces a challenging schedule to start the season, playing nine of its first 10 games on the road. During this 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 will play at No. 11 Louisville on Thursday night.
– Illinois hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/david-mirkovic-19-points-14-041009636.html
