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 Brendan McKay Rays Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Rays Jerseys 2020 . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/146i-tyler-glasnow-jersey-rays.html . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Peter Fairbanks Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Trevor Richards Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. -- Whether Wellabled ever is able to transfer his Arlington form to other venues remains to be seen, and his race at Saratoga last month was not a positive indicator.But over the Polytrack here at Arlington on Saturday, Wellabled was a lot of horse, and he dominated the Grade 3, $100,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity, leading all the way en route to a 7-3/4-length win.Hes the real deal, winning jockey E.T. Baird said.Baird was aboard July 9 when Wellabled, a son of Shackleford out of the In Excess mare Expressive Diva, won his debut by 7-1/2 lengths. Trainer Larry Rivelli and owner Carolyn Wilson sent Wellabled to Saratoga, intending to run in the Saratoga Special, but Wellabled struggled working over the main track there, and wound up in the Skidmore Stakes over 5-1/2 furlongs on turf. He was beaten a nose.But the outcome Saturday seemed in doubt for no more than an instant. Baird masterfully breaks horses from the gate, but he said it was his mount that launched himself into the Futurity faster than any of his rivals, and Wellabled was on the lead the first stride of the race. Star Empire was urged to press the leader through a quarter in a very moderate 23.42 seconds and an opening half-mile in 46.08, but while Tyler Gaffalione on the presser was scrubbing for effort at the quarter-pole, Baird had yet to move a muscle.ddddddddddddRomeo O Romeo came three wide and turning into the straightaway briefly looked like he would battle Wellabled, but Wellabled dashed clear again and widened his lead the final eighth, coming home a decisive winner.Wellableds posted winning time of 1:21 and change was erroneous, the timer having stopped well before the finish. The race was hand-timed by the local chart crew in a more reasonable 1:24.70. Romeo O Romeo edged Star Empire for second by a head. The winner paid $5 as the favorite.Hes got all the talent in the world, Rivelli said. He was a man among boys at the sale.The sale was a Florida 2-year-old-in training sale this past spring at which Wilson went to $340,000 to acquire the fast-breezing colt whose legs all move in a tangle, but move very fast. Baird said the colt is rate-able and smart, and Rivelli believes Wellabled can stretch out to route distances, but the Saratoga dirt-training experience has left him wondering if Wellabled will act on dirt like he has on Polytrack. Therefore, there are no fall plans yet set for Wellabled, though he left no doubt Saturday of his talent -- at Arlington, at least. ' ' '