Illinois' Defense Spurs 79-74 Win Over No. 9 Michigan State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Ayo Dosunmu scored 24 points, and Illinois used a swarming defense to upset No. 9 Michigan State, 79-74, on Monday night at State Farm Center.

Giorgi Bezhanishvili scored 16 for Illinois (8-15, 4-9 Big Ten), and Trent Frazier added 15 as the Illini handed the Spartans (18-5, 9-3) their third straight loss.

Cassius Winston led the Spartans with 21 points. Xavier Tillman added 16.

Illinois led for all but a three-minute stretch late in the game, pushing ahead by as many as 14 points before Michigan State rallied to take a 64-63 lead on Kenny Goins' 3-pointer with 6:21 remaining.

But Illinois, behind its defense, held on and took a 71-68 lead on Dosunmu's 3-pointer with 2:35 left. Dosunmu made another 3 with 1:57 remaining, and the Illini held on from there as the Spartans missed their last four field-goal attempts.

The Illini are on an upswing, having won three of four as their defense has frustrated opponents.

Up Next: The Illini have a quick turnaround, as the team welcomes Rutgers to State Farm Center on Saturday, February 9, at 3 p.m. CT.  

ILLINOIS POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• Tuesday's game marked the 121st meeting between the two teams, with Michigan State now holding a slight 61-60 lead in the all-time series. Illinois has won two of the last three matchups in Champaign. 

• The 79-74 victory over Michigan State marks Illinois' first win over an AP top-10 opponent since the Illini beat No. 1 Indiana, 74-72, on February 7, 2013. 

• Illinois earned its first win at home over a ranked opponent since an 84-70 victory over No. 20 Purdue on Jan. 10, 2016. 

• The Illini have won their last two games vs. ranked teams (No. 13 Maryland and No. 9 Michigan State) a after dropping 15 straight against AP ranked teams prior to the Maryland win. 

• Illinois led for 34:38 of the game was by as many as 14 points. MSU led for 02:06. The game was tied for 03:16.

• The Illinois defense forced 24 Michigan State turnovers, tying MSU's highest total this season (vs. Texas 11/23/18). 
                » The Illini finished the game with a 28-6 edge in points off turnovers. 

• The Spartans 24 turnovers is the third-most by Michigan State in a game since 2005-06. 
                » 27 vs. Arizona 11/23/2005
                » 25 at Illinois 1/22/18
                » 24 at Illinois 2/5/19
                » 24 vs. Texas 11/23/18

• The Illini defense forced Cassius Winston to commit a career-high nine turnovers. His previous high was eight at Illinois on Jan. 22, 2018. 

• After trailing 68-65 at the 4:47 mark in the second half, the Illini went on a 14-6 run to close out the game.  

• With the game tied at 68 with 3:00 to play, freshman Ayo Dosunmu connected on back-to-back three pointers at the 2:32 and 1:54 marks and the Illini didn't trail for the remainder of the game. 

• The Illini shot 5-of-6 on free throws after taking a six-point lead at the 1:54 mark.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Freshman Ayo Dosumnu scored a game-high 24 points (8-14 FG, 4-8 3FG), one shy of his career high. Dosumnu also tied a career-high with three steals. 

• The Illini had four players in double figures: Ayo Dosunmu (24), Giorgia Bezhanishvili (16), Trent Frazier (15) and Andres Feliz (10).