photo by: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. shoots a free throw during an NCAA college basketball game against Colgate Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Champaign, Illinois.

A University of Illinois basketball player was arrested Thursday in Lawrence on suspicion of rape.

Terrence Edward Shannon Jr., 23, of Champaign, Illinois, was arrested Thursday on a warrant at the Douglas County Jail on one count of rape and was released later that day on a $50,000 bond. The Associated Press reported that Shannon traveled to Lawrence on Thursday and turned himself in to authorities, and that the University of Illinois said he was returning to Champaign.

The incident allegedly occurred while Shannon was visiting Lawrence as a spectator at the University of Kansas vs. Illinois football game in September.

According to the charging document filed by the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office on Dec. 5, Shannon faces one felony count of rape for engaging in sexual intercourse on or about Sept. 9 under circumstances when the teen girl was “overcome by force or fear.” An alternative count of sexual battery is listed, alleging that Shannon unlawfully touched the teen, who is listed as having been born in 2005, without her consent.

The Associated Press reported that the school said it had been aware since late September that police in Lawrence were investigating Shannon but had “yet to receive actionable information” until Wednesday.

Shannon, a guard who previously played for Texas Tech and is second in the Big Ten in scoring this season, has been suspended from the Illinois basketball team.

“The University and DIA (Department of Intercollegiate Athletics) have shown time and time again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this story.