STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The Fighting Illini nearly erased a 22-point second half deficit before falling on the road to Penn State, 71-67, on Saturday.
Malcolm Hill led Illinois with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Jalen Coleman-Lands added 13 points for the Orange and Blue.
Shep Garner scored 18 points, Payton Banks added 17 and Penn State for the Nittany Lions, who held on after leading by 20 at halftime. The win snapped a 3-game losing skid for the Nittany Lions. Penn State (12-10, 4-5 Big Ten) led for all but 1:15 and took control early with pinpoint shooting.
The Nittany Lions made 60 percent of their first half shots and Garner hit the first of his team's nine 3-pointers on his first attempt of the game. Meanwhile, the Illini (13-9, 3-6) endured two scoreless stretches in the first 20 minutes totaling 6:44 while the Nittany Lions dropped in 20 points in that span to build a 45-25 halftime lead.
The Illini battled back and Coleman-Lands cut the lead to 65-62 with a 3-pointer with 1:58 left but Garner hit four free throws in the final 38 seconds to keep it out of reach and keep Illinois winless on the road this season (0-5).
"I didn't like our disposition at all in the first half," Illinois coach John Groce said. "I thought it was unacceptable. Just didn't think we were really good. We could be here for 30 minutes picking on a variety of areas in the first half."
UP NEXT
Illinois returns home for their next two games – Tuesday against No. 15 Wisconsin and Saturday against Minnesota. The Illini are 10-2 at State Farm Center this season.
