Danville, Ill. - The Illinois Central College men's basketball team emerged victorious over the weekend at the Danville Classic. The Cougars won 96-71 over Kalamazoo Valley Community College on Friday, October 31, and 91-73 over Wayne County Community College on Saturday, November 1. 

vs. Kalamazoo

Friday's game versus Kalamazoo was a well-rounded win with contributions from many different players. Jaylen McElmurry (14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) and Brandon Phillips (14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block) led the team in scoring with 14 points each. Javaughn Robinson (5 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists), Jaylen Brown (13 points, 1 rebound), Rickey Coleman (10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block), Marlon Herron (9 points, 4 rebounds), and Peyton Hess (9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), all had notable stats from the season-opener. 

The Cougars started the game shooting a free throw due to Kalamazoo illegally dunking in warm-ups. After that, the men didn't look back. ICC led the game from start to finish.

The Cougars were up 41-33 at the end of the first period. They came out of halftime with a 13-6 run to extend the lead to 54-39. The Cougars led by as much as 29 points when they were up 88-59 with three minutes left in the game. The scoreboard read 96-71 as time expired to give ICC their first win of the 2025-2026 season. 

vs. Wayne County

This weekend was a homecoming for Danville native, Javaughn Robinson, who led the team with a triple-double (20 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds) against Wayne County on Saturday. Jaylen Brown with 15 points, and Rickey Coleman with 14 points and a block also helped ICC take the win and propel the team to a 2-0 record to start the season. 

ICC and Wayne County exchanged baskets to start the game and the score remained close throughout the first half. The biggest lead for the Cougars in the first half was 8 points when they headed into halftime up 50-42. 

The Cougars went on an 11-3 run to start the second half to make their lead 61-45 with 15:45 left. With under 12 minutes to go, ICC went on an 8-2 run and later extended their lead to 83-64 with around 4 minutes left. The Cougars finished strong, ending the game at 91-73 over Wayne County to finish the weekend undefeated. 

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Home opener - Wednesday, November 5
at 6:00 pm
vs. #15 Bryant & Stratton
Ramsey Gym, East Peoria, IL