Illinois tops Gonzaga in Wooden Tradition

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 top-ranked Wake Forest this coming Wednesday in Champaign, Ill.

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.

Adam Morrison led Gonzaga with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Ronny Turiaf added 12 points and nine rebounds.

In other Top 25 action…

No. 4 Syracuse 78,

Siena 56

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gerry McNamara scored 29 points and Hakim Warrick grabbed 15 rebounds as Syracuse (5-0) won its 29th straight game against an in-state opponent.

Warrick and Josh Pace each scored 13 points for Syracuse, which held Siena to 32 percent shooting and outrebounded the Saints 54-29.

Siena (0-5) is off to the worst start in school history.

Syracuse took an 18-2 lead in the first five minutes. McNamara, the Orange’s best outside threat, paced the early surge with a layup and his first career dunk after a steal and court-long dash. He then completed a four-point play after hitting his 200th career 3-pointer and finished 6-for-14 from long range.

No. 10 Michigan St. 102,

Nicholls St. 52

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Led by Maurice Ager’s 19 points, Michigan State scored more than 100 points for the third straight game.

Kelvin Torbert added 16 points, Shannon Brown and Alan Anderson had 15 apiece and Paul Davis had 11 for the Spartans (3-0). Michigan State will take a 105.3-point average into Tuesday’s game at No. 9 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Michigan State had a 52-29 rebounding edge and used a 17-2 start and a 20-2 run near the end of the first half to lead 48-16 at the break. The Spartans led by at least 32 points at halftime for the third straight game.

Stefan Blaszczynski scored 15 points and Shawn King had 12 for the smaller Colonels (0-3).