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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Illinois could not overcome a double-digit halftime deficit and dropped its penultimate conference road game at Ohio State, 72-60.
The Illini cut their deficit to a single point with under seven minutes to play, but their comeback came up just short in the road defeat.
Illinois made four blocks in the loss, which pushed the Illini to their most blocked shots in a season in program history.
Four Illinois scorers finished in double figures, with Coleman Hawkins leading the way with 14 points. Hawkins also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and two steals.
Matthew Mayer registered 11 points and knocked down three 3-pointers.
Jayden Epps and Terrence Shannon Jr. both recorded 10 points, combining for 15 points in the second half.
Illinois (19-10, 10-8) returns to State Farm Center for its final home game of the season, playing host to Michigan (16-12, 10-7) on Thursday night at 6 p.m. CT.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois returned to the starting lineup of Jayden Epps, Terrence Shannon Jr., Dain Dainja, Matthew Mayer and Coleman Hawkins for the seventh time this season.
- The Illini are now 4-3 in game started by that combination, one of five starting lineups used by the team so far this season.
- Sunday's loss is just the Illini's fifth in the team's last 15 Big Ten games since starting conference play 0-3.
- Illinois recorded four blocks, breaking a tie with the 1978-79 squad (162) to establish a new single-season program record with 166 rejections on the year.
- The Illini were outrebounded (40-28) for just the fourth time in Big Ten play this season, falling to 1-3 in those contests.
PLAYER NOTES
- Coleman Hawkins scored a team-high 14 points, while also leading the Illini with seven rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes.
- It marks just the second time this season (third career) that Hawkins has finished as the team's leading scorer.
- Hawkins has now led the team in rebounding 13 times this season (15 career).
- Matthew Mayer tallied 11 points, including a team-most three three-pointers.
- Mayer has scored in double figures in 18 of the last 21 games, averaging 15.2 points (319), including all six of his 20-point games this season coming during this stretch.
- Terrence Shannon Jr. returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench vs. Northwestern following a two-game absence from the lineup due to injury.
- Shannon scored just two points the first half, but finished with 10 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists before fouling out with 2:15 left.
- Jayden Epps tallied 10 points, giving him 20 games with double-digits scoring as a true freshman this season.
