No. 5 Illinois Beats No. 24 Gonzaga 89-72

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Deron Williams scored 20 points to lead No. 5 Illinois to a 89-72 win over No. 24 Gonzaga on Saturday in the John Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse.<br> <br> The Illini (4-0) set the tone from the opening tip, using superior 3-point shooting and suffocating defense to dominate the Bulldogs (3-1) and set up an early season showdown with the Demon Deacons in Champaign, Ill., next week.<br> <br> Illinois made 14 of 28 3-pointers and scored 29 points off 19 Gonzaga turnovers to turn the game into a rout in the first five minutes.<br> <br> Adam Morrison led Gonzaga with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Ronny Turiaf added 12 points and nine rebounds. <br> <br> Williams got the Illini started with an 11-0 run early in the first half, and they never looked back.<br> <br> Illinois forced seven turnovers in the first five minutes, which led to 14 points and an 18-4 lead.<br> <br> Gonzaga&#39;s game plan going in was to get the ball down low to Turiaf, who was coming off a career-high 40 points in a win over Idaho on Wednesday.<br> <br> But every time Turiaf touched the ball on Saturday, he was immediately surrounded by two or three Illinois players, forcing him to pass out of the post.<br> <br> Turiaf couldn&#39;t handle the pressure. He had six turnovers, including one pass out of a double team that landed in the second row of the stands.<br> <br> And his teammates just couldn&#39;t pick up the slack. Morrison scored 11 points in the first half, but he was the only player that was at all effective against the deep and athletic Illini.<br> <br> The Illini made 10 of 17 3-pointers and shot 55 percent from the field in the first half to take control.<br> <br> They closed the half in convincing fashion, with a 3-pointer by Williams, a layup by Roger Powell and a layup by Head at the buzzer for a 58-27 lead that turned the second half into garbage time.<br> <br> The Bulldogs were overwhelmed by the lightning-quick Illini break and physical inside play.<br> <br> Dee Brown was the facilitator, pushing the ball relentlessly up the floor. Brown finished with 17 points and eight assists and Luther Head added 20 points and nine assists.<br> <br> Gonzaga outrebounded Illinois 39-26, but that was about the only thing the Bulldogs did right.

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