Highlights | Press Conference | Photo Gallery | Box Score (PDF)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Big second-half performances from Dain Dainja and Matthew Mayer propelled Illinois to victory on Friday night, with the Illini taking down Michigan State, 75-66, at State Farm Center. Illinois outscored the Spartans by 13 points in the second half, while three Illini finished in double figures.
Dainja scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, while Mayer recorded 14 of his 19 points in the final 20 minutes of action.
The Illini defense was a significant factor once again, recording 10 blocks and four steals. Mayer led the way with a career-high six blocks, while Jayden Epps grabbed a team-high two steals. Illinois also held Michigan State without a 3-pointer, as the Spartans went 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 17 points in the victory, his 14th double-figure scoring performance this season. Jayden Epps added seven points off the bench and tallied a career-high five assists, and Coleman Hawkins registered nine points and eight rebounds.
Illinois also took care of the basketball, recording a season-low five turnovers.
Shannon took control on the offensive end, scoring 15 of the Illini's 19 points through the opening 10 minutes of first-half action. Shannon got shots to fall from all over the floor, finding the basket in the paint and from beyond the arc. The Illini led by as many as five points in the opening half, but the Spartans ultimately took a 37-33 advantage into the break.
Mayer asserted himself on the defensive end of the court, making four blocks in the first half, the most he has registered in a game this season. Illinois recorded seven blocks and two steals in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Down by nine with 14 minutes to play, the Illini offense slowly started clawing its way back. Four straight points from Hawkins cut the Illinois deficit to five, and that spark was the start of a big Illini run.
Illinois used a 10-0 run to turn what was once a nine-point deficit into a five-point advantage with under eight minutes to play. Mayer was a big reason behind that stretch, scoring eight points during the momentum-swinging run to bring the State Farm Center crowd to its feet.
Michigan State responded and tied the game at 60 with under six minutes to play before a 5-0 Illinois run, which included a Hawkins triple and a Dainja second-chance layup, put the hosts ahead by five with four minutes to play.
Dainja continued his strong second-half showing by hitting a jumper to bring him up to 20 points. The Illini then thwarted the Spartan comeback bid by closing the game with an 8-2 run, giving Illinois its third consecutive Big Ten win.
Now 3-3 in conference play and 12-5 overall, Illinois travels to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Monday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
QUOTES
Brad Underwood
Opening statement:
"Two really good teams. Went about how those games should. I thought there were some very interesting opportunities tonight before the game going in because they can play really big, and they can play really small. We can do the same thing, so I thought there was a little chess match within the game itself.
"Obviously I loved our defense the last 10-12 minutes of the game. They told me it's been 15 years since we have held the team without a three. It was a very big step for us coming into the game. Michigan State was 11-1 if they make more than five threes; they were 1-3 with under five. Stay home with their shooters was something we spent a lot of time talking about. The other glaring statistic, other than us getting pounded on the glass, was that they had four assists. They average 16. We were good with them shooting midrange twos all night.
"I'm really proud of Matthew. He's got himself into shape where he can play 29 minutes. He played extremely intelligent because I had to play in the first half with two fouls, and it's not very often that you get a perimeter player with six blocks. It wasn't just his offensive numbers. He had six blocks tonight. Dain, I thought, was terrific. He had a few mishaps in the first half in ball-screen coverage, in our drops that he usually doesn't make. We really challenged him at halftime because he didn't have a defensive rebound. Most everybody in this room has seen Dain be a dominant rebounder. We need that for him. Again, I thought Coleman was tremendous on the defensive side. Four offensive rebounds, eight total. He's playing a ton of minutes.
"We beat a really good basketball team tonight. The last thing I'll mention is our five turnovers. That helps when you get a shot at the rim, not turn it over, and it was a big piece of tonight's game."
On the execution and game plan down the stretch:
"Get the ball to Matt. We literally ran one play probably 12 times, and we ran two different variations off of it. They made a little change, and then we just ran Matt into a post-up. We liked Matt with Akins on him, with that matchup. Our execution, I thought, was very good. We got a couple offensive rebounds that were huge. We found Dain in a couple of deep post-ups when those options broke down. I thought it was very, very good, and then I thought our defense was solid as well."
Matthew Mayer
On his second-half performance:
"It felt great. I just got a good little bucket, and then Coach Underwood started running plays for me. He's one of the best coaches I've seen at running plays for people that are hot. We were just running the same play every single time for like 15 straight possessions."
On the team's adjustments and improvements during the winning streak:
"I think it's night and day. I think we have incredibly talented players. I think everybody knows that. It was just a matter of making a few adjustments on offense and defense. I definitely think from some of those losses, we had to look at what we were doing and change it up a little bit. I still truly believe we can win a national championship."
On adding shot-blocking abilities to his repertoire:
"I started to figure out how to block shots last year. I have to be honest, my shot-blocking ability has completely come from Coleman Hawkins. I am not lying. In practice, I would never get my shot blocked. That was my thing with my jump shot, and Coleman blocked two of my shots in a row. I've learned how to block shots off one foot and time different things. I really watch Coleman, and personally I think I'm more athletic than Coleman, and when you add the two together, it's just fireworks."
Dain Dainja
On wearing down opposing defenders:
"I definitely felt like I wore them down a little bit. I talked with some of the coaches, and they just wanted me to get a deeper position down there. They know I'm so effective down there. The lower I am, the easier it is."
On getting more minutes:
"As the game went on, as I was getting more looks and more touches, I got going a little bit. All the work I put in this summer, it's definitely paid off. I feel good."
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- The Illini have won three-straight over the Spartans for the first time since winning five-straight from Feb. 18, 2003, to March 4, 2006.
- Illinois has back-to-back home wins over Michigan State for the first time since winning three-straight over the Spartans in Champaign from Feb. 6, 2010, through Jan. 31, 2012.
- The Illini finished the contest with 10 blocks.
- They had seven blocks in the first half.
- It is the fifth-straight game they have recorded at least six blocks in a game.
- It is the third game this season they have reached double-digits in that category.
- Illinois has had more blocks than their opponents in all but two games this season.
- Illinois did not allow a 3-point field goal, the first time they've ever done so since at least the 2010-11 season.
- It was the first time Michigan State did not make a 3-pointer since March 4, 2021.
- The Illini turned the ball over a season-low five times.
- Illinois assisted on 11 of its 27 field goals.
PLAYER NOTES
- Redshirt sophomore Dain Dainja scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
- It's the third time this season Dainja has poured in at least 20 points.
- It's his sixth double-digit scoring effort of the year and the second in his last five.
- It's his sixth-straight game with at least six rebounds.
- Fifth year Matthew Mayer scored 19 points to go along with a game-high six blocks.
- He scored 14 points in the second half, going 2-for-4 from behind the arc.
- Four of his six blocks came in the first half.
- It is the most blocks by an Illini this season. He is also the first Illini since Kofi Cockburn on March 1, 2020, to block six shots in a game.
- Senior Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 17 points to go along with five rebounds and one assists.
- He scored all of his points in the first half.
- It is the second-straight game he has scored at least 15 points in the first half.
- Junior Coleman Hawkins scored nine points and added eight rebounds.
- Freshman Jayden Epps added seven points off of the bench.
