Fresh start for Illini

CHAMPAIGN – After a jarring overtime loss Saturday to Gonzaga, Illinois coach Bruce Weber sent starters Demetri McCamey and D. J. Richardson to the bench for Tuesday night’s return to Big Ten play.

But, after he saw hints of the kind of slow start that’s dogged Illinois all season, Weber soon plugged both into the lineup. Richardson rewarded him.

The freshman scored 17 points, hitting five 3-point shots, to lead the Illini (10-5, 2-0) past the struggling Hawkeyes 59-42. McCamey added nine points and seven assists.

“We needed to get off to a better start and it’s the first time in eight games we’ve won the first 5 minutes,” Weber said. “I thought the two guys that were taken out of the lineup responded well and gave us a big boost off the bench.”

Richardson started the game on the bench for the first time in his college career. But after a slow Illini start, he entered the game early for Illinois. He said he didn’t take Weber’s decision to bench him too hard.

“I didn’t really look at it like that at all,” he said.

The Illini went on a 20-1 run early in the first half to open up a 22-4 lead that Iowa couldn’t overcome.

Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said the outcome was never really in doubt after that.

“I don’t think there’s any secret to this one – they jumped on us too quick and we couldn’t recover,” he said. “There never was a way of reversing it.”

On Saturday, Illinois trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half against Gonzaga after a sluggish start that has become their signature this season.

Afterward, Weber said he’d bench two or even three of his regular starters against Iowa, looking for an early-game spark and the sort of defense his team struggles to play.

But with Bill Cole and Jeff Jordan starting for Richardson and McCamey, Illinois couldn’t find the basket early. The Illini made just one of their first seven shots.

But Iowa (5-10, 0-3) was worse. Much worse.

The Hawkeyes shot 30.6 percent (15-for-49). Illinois held a 38-29 rebounding edge over the Hawkeyes, whose tallest starter is 6-foot-7 Jarryd Cole.