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John Groce era begins at Illinois with 79-47 exhibition victory

John Groce

John Groce’s tenure at Illinois officially got underway Saturday night with a 79-47 exhibition victory over Lewis at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill.

All 13 players logged minutes for the Illini in the win, with D.J. Richardson’s 12 points leading the scoring. Myke Henry and Sam McLaurin also reached double figures with 11 each and Brandon Paul finishing with nine points and five assists.

“The think the biggest thing I learned tonight was how good they want to be,” Groce said after the game. “Almost everything that we addressed through film, I can in good faith tell you I thought we got better at it tonight.”

Illinois, which shot poorly from three-point range last season, started 6-of-8 from long range and ended up going 9-of-18 on the game.

Below are highlights, courtesy of Illinois Athletics. The Illini return to the floor Nov. 4 against West Chester (Pa.).

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_