Can’t win every Big Ten road game.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Close, but no cigar.
For the third weekend in a row, Illinois had the opportunity to knock off a top ten-ranked Big Ten foe on the road. No. 5 Illinois pushed No. 10 Michigan State to overtime on Saturday night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, but the Spartans came out on top, 85-82.
With the loss, Illinois (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) falls to second place in the Big Ten behind Michigan, while Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) moves into sole possession of fourth place.
Despite a rough showing from star freshman Keaton Wagler, no Kylan Boswell, and a poor shooting night, the Illini were able to persevere and take Michigan State to overtime.
It simply wasn’t Wagler’s night in East Lansing. The Kansas native finished the first half 0-for-5 from the floor with just two points. His second half wasn’t much better, as he shot just 1-for-9 against a physical, aggressive Michigan State defense. Wagler did finish with 16 points, but 10 of those came from the free throw line.
The first half of this primetime matchup was back and forth and incredibly even in nearly every team statistic. Both squads received balanced scoring efforts team-wide.
The Ivisic brothers anchored the Illini early, both nailing three-pointers in the first six minutes. David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic’s nine and eight first-half points, respectively, helped Illinois survive the rowdy Breslin Center as Wagler struggled. Veteran Ben Humrichous came up huge as well, knocking down two triples in the opening half.
The second half began with a bang, especially compared to a slower, more physical first half. Illinois extended their lead to nine points within the first minute of the half, but an 8-0 Spartans run knotted the game at 47 shortly after.
The game remained back and forth from that point on. With Keaton Wagler struggling, Illinois turned to Mirkovic to initiate the offense and Stojakovic to go and get buckets. The Balkan duo combined for 16 of Illinois’ 32 points in the second half and showed up in huge ways at critical moments late in the game.
Michigan State’s Kur Teng made a go-ahead three with under ten seconds to play, but the Spartans fouled Illinois’ Jake Davis with a second to go. Davis calmly knocked down two free throws to send the game to overtime, tied 71-71.
In overtime, Illinois did gain a lead, but a Jeremy Fears-led 7-0 Michigan State run effectively ended Illinois’ night. Michigan State went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe in overtime which helped ice the game.
The contrasting styles of the two teams were on display all night. Michigan State dominated in transition, outscoring Illinois 22-0 on fast breaks. Illinois, on the other hand, took whatever the Spartans defense gave them all night. It was an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance from the Fighting Illini. Illinois shot just 36.6% from the floor and 27.8% from distance.
Stat Stuffers
- Andrej Stojakovic (ILL) — 17 points, 7 rebounds
- David Mirkovic (ILL) — 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
- Jeremy Fears Jr. (MSU) — 26 points, 15 assists
Moments that Mattered
Yet another questionable play from Jeremy Fears Jr.
A huge first-half triple from Hummer.
Jake Davis corner three.
Looking Ahead
Illinois returns home for a two-game homestead that brings Wisconsin and Indiana to town.
The Illini are back in action on Tuesday against the Badgers.
Category: General Sports
