COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 points and Andres Feliz had a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds), but No. 23 Illinois fell at No. 19 Ohio State, 71-63, Thursday night at Value City Arena.
Kaleb Wesson scored 19 points to lead the Buckeyes, while Illinois-native E.J. Liddell tied a career high with 17 points and had 11 rebounds.
Illinois (20-10, 12-7), which saw its conference championship hopes fade a bit after starting the day a half-game behind leaders Maryland, Wisconsin and Michigan State. Still, the Illini are one game back with one to play and are poised for a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years.
Illinois led by as many as 11 in the first half and held a 37-30 lead at the break. The Buckeyes let fly with the 3-pointers in the opening frame but hit just one in seven tries.
After Illinois went up by seven, Ohio State chipped away and Kaleb Wesson's fadeaway jumper tied the score at 51 with 9:30 left, part of an 11-2 run by the Buckeyes, who then built an eight-point lead.
After Wesson picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in a 15-second span, Illinois got within five with a steal by Dosunmu and a coast-to-coast layup by Feliz. But Liddell's shot in the paint and a couple of foul shots by Duane Washington Jr. gave the Buckeyes a 69-60 lead with 32 seconds remaining.
UP NEXT: Illinois hosts Iowa in its regular-season finale on Sunday (6 pm CT on BTN).
