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Paul leads No. 13 Illinois over UC Irvine

Nov 9, 2010 - 4:02 AM Champaign, IL (Sports Network) - Brandon Paul sank six three-pointers and ended with 18 points, as 13th-ranked Illinois opened its season with a 79-65 win over UC Irvine in regional round action of the 2K Sports Classic.

Demetri McCamey added 13 points and eight assists for the Illini (1-0), who are coming off a season in which they went 21-15 but missed the NCAA Tournament. Mike Tisdale had 12 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

Illinois will play Toledo on Wednesday in another regional round contest.

Darren Moore provided 18 points to pace UC Irvine (0-1), which was 14-18 last season under head coach Pat Douglass. He was fired after 13 seasons and replaced by Russell Turner.

Eric Wise finished with 11 points and 12 boards in the setback.

A little more than five minutes into the game, Paul sank the first of three consecutive three-pointers. Tyler Griffey finished the run with a jumper to give Illinois a 19-5 lead with 11:39 left in the half.

Moore countered with a three-pointer several minutes later, but the Illini responded with a 15-0 run to blow the game apart. Mike Davis capped the rally with a jumper in the paint for a 34-8 advantage, and Illinois carried a 42-18 lead into the break.

The Anteaters' offense was more effective over the final 20 minutes, but Illinois shot 14-of-27 and led by double digits the entire way.

Game Notes

Davis finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds for Illinois, which shot 50 percent (29-of-58) overall...Patrick Rembert and Pavol Losonsky had 12 and 11 points, respectively, for UC Irvine...The Anteaters next play on Saturday, at USC.