After playing a string of games that were too close to allow the bench significant playing time, Illinois basketball head coach Bruce Weber finally got a chance to get his bench some minutes on Sunday, as the Fighting Illini dominated Western Michigan 88-53.

“That’s how you envision our team to be. We know we can score points, we’ve done it all year,” Weber said. “The effort on the defensive end was so much better. The preparation, knowing what the other team was doing, taking them out of it.”

After a slow start for the offense, junior guard Demetri McCamey got the Illini going on a fast-break layup from junior forward Bill Cole. After that, the rest of the squad seemed to hit its stride.

“I think Demetri, when he pushes it and makes the good decision, we’re really tough to guard,” Weber said.

McCamey’s layup gave the Illini a 10-5 advantage with 13:36 remaining in the first half, and they never looked back.

That lead allowed Weber to get his bench involved in the game. Senior forward Dominique Keller took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring 11 points in the first half to lead the way for the Illini bench and the starters. Keller ended the game with 15 points to lead Illinois in scoring.

“I came out and I hit my first three, and then I kind of felt good about it so I took another one. And then I took another one, and they just kept going in, so I was like, ‘forget it,’ I just kept shooting every time I was open,” Keller said. “Luckily they all went in.”

In all, the bench chipped in 24 points in the first half alone, only a point shy of the entire Western Michigan squad, which had 25 total points before the half. The bench ended the game with 40 of the Fighting Illini’s 88 points.

“That was the goal to get everybody in the game and get some minutes and just get some valuable minutes today,” junior forward Mike Davis said.

Following the win against Vanderbilt, Weber said freshman forward Tyler Griffey was one of those bench players who needed to be worked back into the rotation. That opportunity came Sunday, as Griffey played 16 minutes with six points and five rebounds.

“He struggles a little bit defensively, always recognizing things. But when he goes in there, he’s active,” Weber said. “He’s going to put it up too, he’s not afraid to put it up. I’ve said since the beginning, he’s going to be a very good player for us. I don’t have any doubt.”

Griffey and Keller weren’t the only bench players to get in on the action, though. Junior guard Alex Legion had six points in 15 minutes, and junior forward Bill Cole added seven points in 18 minutes.

“It’s not welfare, and he’s got to earn time,” Weber said of Legion.

“It’s all the guys,” Weber added. “If you want time, come and fight people — not fistfight — but fight them in practice and battle them.”

On the defensive end, Illinois held Broncos senior guard and leading scorer David Kool to 13 points on 5-for-17 shooting. Kool had been averaging 23.2 points and posted 36 points against Eastern Illinois on Wednesday.

Cole and freshman guard D.J. Richardson drew the tough defensive assignment most of the night.

“He averages 23 and that’s motivation. I said, ‘He averages 23, I think I can stop that,’” Richardson said.

“Not just me, my teammates. (Freshman guard) Brandon Paul also did a great job on him tonight, and Demtri had him for a couple possessions. The whole team helped,” Richardson added. “As a team, we all defended him. It wasn’t just one individual.”

With the victory in the books, the Fighting Illini now have a little more time to focus on school before traveling to battle Georgia on Saturday.

“At least you have a feel-good feeling going into finals here,” Weber said.