Illinois Hands Ohio State 87-75 Loss

The Fighting Illini led by double digits for the final 13:31 to secure their third road victory in Big Ten play this season.

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, scoring 12 of the team's final 22 points of the game for his 25th consecutive outing in double figures.

Shannon knocked down three 3-pointers for the sixth time this season, while he went perfect from the free-throw line (6-for-6) for the fourth time during the 2023-24 campaign.

Shannon also added three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks for his fourth game with multiple swats.

Marcus Domask also finished with 23 points after tallying a team-high 11 points in the first half. Domask scored the Illini's final eight points of the night, securing his 12th game in a row in double figures and his sixth 20-point effort this season. Domask went perfect from the charity stripe as well (8-for-8), and he also totaled three rebounds and two assists.

Ty Rodgers recorded his second double-double of the season – and the second of his career – with 13 points and 10 rebounds. With four of his boards coming on the offensive glass, Rodgers helped the Illini accumulate 14 second-chance points. He also dished out two assists and made one steal while scoring nine of his 13 points in the second half.

Justin Harmon was the first player off the bench, and he ended his night with six points, all of which came in the first half. He also accumulated four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Dain Dainja poured in seven points off the bench, his most since Jan. 14, while three of his five rebounds came on the offensive glass. Dainja also registered one block.

Quincy Guerrier scored the Illini's first points on an alley-oop from Domask before Shannon knocked down a triple to give the visitors their first lead of the game. After Shannon made a block on the other end, a Rodgers layup pushed the Illinois edge to 7-4, capping off a 7-2 scoring run for the Orange and Blue.

Less than two minutes later, Rodgers grabbed an offensive rebound before kicking it out to Coleman Hawkins, whose triple put the Illini back in front, 10-8, five minutes into the contest. While Illinois made two of its four 3-point attempts, neither team led by more than two points in a back-and-forth opening 10 minutes of the game.

After the Buckeyes took a five-point advantage with just under seven minutes left in the first half, the Illini used a Guerrier triple and back-to-back Domask buckets to fuel a 7-0 run and pull back in front. Domask eventually accounted for seven straight points for the Illini, giving the away side a two-point advantage following his 3-pointer with just under five minutes to go until halftime.

Harmon and Domask combined to score all six points during a 6-0 Illinois run that spanned less than 70 seconds to give the Illini a seven-point edge, their largest of the opening half. Making his return following a six-game absence, Amani Hansberry scored his first points since Dec. 29 via a driving layup, finishing through contact to send Illinois into the break with a 41-34 lead. 

Nine of the ten Illini to play in the first half registered at least one field goal through the opening 20 minutes. Illinois shot 48% from the field in the first, and Domask led the Orange and Blue with a team-high 11 points at the break. Going a perfect 3-for-3 before the intermission, Harmon tallied six points, including four points in the span of just over one minute late in the opening period of play.

Finishing 7-for-10 from the field to close the first half, Illinois picked up right where it left off to begin the final frame. The Illini made their first three field-goal attempts out of the break, which extended their lead to 11 points.

After the Buckeyes cut their deficit to six points, the Orange and Blue pieced together a 10-4 run to push their advantage back to double digits. A Rodgers putback dunk off an offensive rebound and a Shannon jumper rounded off the scoring stretch to give Illinois a 60-48 edge with just under 13 minutes left on the clock.

Pushing the pace, Dainja grabbed an offensive rebound before getting his second effort to drop through contact. After Dainja completed the and-1 opportunity, Shannon followed suit less than 30 seconds later. Despite getting hit and falling away from the basket, the Illini fifth-year somehow got his left-handed layup to fall and knocked down the ensuing free throw to complete a 6-0 Illini run and extend Illinois' edge to 68-52, midway through the final frame.

Ohio State fought back to within 10, but six consecutive points from Shannon – a stretch that included a 3-pointer in addition to another and-1 sequence in the span of less than 60 seconds – saw the Orange and Blue's advantage grow back to 16 points with seven minutes to go.

Shannon connected on his third 3-pointer of the night two minutes later. Domask accounted for Illinois' final eight points of the night as the Illini never let their lead drop below double figures over the last 13-and-a-half minutes of action to secure their second consecutive conference victory.

No. 14 Illinois (16-5, 7-3 B1G) returns to action on Sunday evening, when the Illini will take on Nebraska for the first time this season. Tipoff from State Farm Center in Champaign is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.