CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Malcolm Hill made sure Illinois didnt step off the gas pedal Friday night so that the Illini could took care of business against Detroit Mercy, 89-69.The senior, who scored 25 points, led his team to a quick start after the intermission, when his team was up 39-30 and it seemed like the Titans would close the gap even more.Im always in an aggressive attack more, but this was one of those games where I needed to start strong in the second half, Hill said.Illinois (4-0) continued its strong start to the season in the opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament.The Illini had little trouble scoring, shooting 27of 52 from the field and 8 of 19 from 3-point range. Friday marked the second straight game the Illini had difficulty shooting from the free throw line however, finishing 27of 38.Tracy Abrams continued to have a strong return to basketball, scoring 15 points and finishing with four rebounds, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.Groce knows the importance a balanced offense can have on his team.If you can have a balance of paint touches with that outside shooting, it puts opponents in dilemmas, Groce said.Detroit Mercy (1-2) had trouble keeping up with Illinois fast offensive pace from the start of the game. The Titans never led.Josh McFolley and Jaleel Hogan both led the way with 16 points for a team that finished shooting 43 percent from the field and 24 percent from beyond the arc.The Titans fell behind in most categories against the Illini, but Detroit Mercy head coach Bacari Alexander felt Illinois won the game down in the post, where the Illini won the rebound battle 39-29.They took advantage of those opportunities (in the post), Alexander said. (But) I like the direction this team is going in.BIG PICTUREIllinois: The Illini have played as they should against the type of opponents theyve faced so far this year. The team has one game left against relatively easy competition before facing No. 19 West Virginia at the Barclays Center in New York.Detroit Mercy: Although the game was never really close after the first few minutes, the Titans found some scoring opportunities and will need to continue to do that in the rest of the tournament.ROLE PLAYERGroce thought bench player D.J. Williams had his best overall performance of the year. The sophomore wing scored six points.LETDOWNAfter a strong start to the season, center Maverick Morgan had his worst night of the season, finishing with six points and zero rebounds and fouling out with more than five minutes left in the game.UP NEXTIllinois will continue play in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament when it hosts Winthrop in Champaign on Monday.Detroit Mercy will try to bounce back Monday when it travels to Florida State to play its second game in the NIT Season Tip-Off.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org cheap jerseys usa . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. jerseys from china . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. http://www.cheapjerseysnflchinasupply.net/ .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. cheap nfl jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. nfl jerseys china . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night.Marin Cilic takes on David Goffin and Milos Raonic meets Gael Monfils as the Indian Wells quarter-finals begin on Thursday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD. In a wide-open bottom half of the draw, early exits for Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych have left 10th seed Cilic as the highest ranked player remaining and the former US Open champion will take on Wawrinkas conquerer Goffin for a place in the last four.Thursdays other quarter-final will see big-serving Canadian Raonic up against flamboyant Frenchman Monfils with both men yet to drop a set in California. Indian Wells - Quarter Finals Top Half Novak Djokovic v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Rafa Nadal v Kei Nishikori Bottom Half Marin Cilic v David Goffin Milos Raonic v Gael Monfils The top half of the draw has progressed exactly to seeding with Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal joined by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals scheduled for Friday. Marin Cilic (10) v (15) David GoffinFirst up from 8pm on Thursday is only a second meeting between Cilic and Goffin, but it comes just over a week after the first when the two clashed in a pivotal Davis Cup rubber between Cilics Croatia and Goffins Belgium. David Goffin ended Stan Wawrinkas bid for a Masters title With Croatia leading 2-1 Goffin came through in four sets to see off Cilic and while Croatia went on to win, Goffin had picked up both points for his country and will be hoping for more of the same as he targets a victory that will see him through to his first Masters semi-final.Goffins previous 1000 Series best is a quarter-final in Rome last year and the 25-year-old will be looking to continue the steady improvement of last year that took him to a career-high 14th in the world rankings and saw him beat Wawrinka in a nerve-shredding last 16 encounter on Wednesday. Goffin delighted with victory over Stan Wawrinka The Swiss ace battled back from a set and 4-0 down to take the second set but showing tremendous composure Goffin came through a thrilling tie-break to secure victory over the world number four and remain on course for a first Tour title since 2014.ddddddddddddCilic is the highest seed left in the bottom half and has endured a low-key start to 2016 with defeat to Nick Kyrgios in the final in Marseille the high-point of a year that saw him beaten in the Australian Open third round and suffer early defeats in Acapulco and Montpellier Marin Cilic is seeking a first Masters semi-final appearance However the 27-year-old dropped his first set of the week in his last 16 match against Richard Gasquet but he outlasted his opponent in the sweltering conditions for a 7-5 5-7 6-2 victory that sees him into the last eight.Surprisingly the 2014 US Open champion has never been beyond the quarter-finals of a Masters event and will be looking to do so in the first last eight match up in California.Milos Raonic (12) v (13) Gael MonfilsThe second quarter-final gets underway on Sky Sports from 2am and will see a fifth career meeting between Canadas Raonic and Frances Monfils.Seeded 12th and 13th and ranked 14th and 16th there is little between the players. Raonics walkover win in a San Jose semi-final means it is Monfils who has the edge in contests between the pair.Their most recent match-up was an Australian Open quarter-final in January which Raonic came through in four tight sets. Milos Raonic meets Gael Monfils at Indian Wells The Canadian has raced lightly this year, reaching the final in Brisbane before his run to the last four in Melbourne. His performances in Indian Wells suggest his break after Australia has done him good and he hasnt spent too long on court in California either.A surprisingly one-sided last-16 win over Berdych followed a win over Bernard Tomic which came when the Australian withdrew trailing 6-2 3-0. His second round victory was achieved in straight sets over Inigo Cervantes. Nadal through, Wawrinka out Report from Wednesdays last 16 matches at Indian Wells Monfils too has made light work of his opponents so far, coming through 6-3 6-4 against Federico Delbonis in the last 16 after the Argentine had ousted Murray. Alberto Ramos-Vinolas was dispatched with ease and his toughest test so far came in a 7-5 7-6 (7-1) second round win over Pablo Carreno Busta.After his Melbourne quarter-final defeat, Monfils has played just two events, suffering a surprise defeat in the round of 32 in Montpellier before a run to the final in Rotterdam where he lost to Martin Klizan.Neither player has won a Masters title although both have two runners-up spots on their CV and will be looking to press their claims in California on Thursday night. You can follow all the action from Indian Wells on Sky Sports 3 from 8pm and when the action restarts at 2am. 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