Illinois Falls To Michigan State, 79-65

BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois fell to No. 11 Michigan State, 79-65, on Saturday night in the State Farm Center. 

The Illini led by as many as 16 points in the contest, and held a 14-point lead, 35-21, at the 6:17 mark of the first half. But Michigan State closed the first half on a 16-6 run to pull to within four points at halftime. 

Neither team led by more than four in a back-and-forth battle throughout the first 13 minutes of the second half. After a Ben Humrichous jumper gave the Illini a 65-64 edge with 8:29 to play, the Illini missed their final 19 shots, and Michigan State closed the game on a 15-0 run to seal the win.    

Freshmen Morez Johnson Jr. and Kasparis Jakucionis led Illinois in scoring with 17 points each. They also grabbed five rebounds each. Classmate Will Riley added 13 points and led the Illini with seven rebounds and six assists. Tomislav Ivisic also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. 

Jake Davis scored eight points off the bench for the Illini on 3-for-6 shooting from the floor. 

Illinois hits the road on Tuesday to take on No. 16 Wisconsin at Kohl Center at 7:30 p.m. CT (FS1).