EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 10 Illinois led by as many as eight in the second half but could not hang on in an 88-80 road loss to Michigan State at the Breslin Center on Saturday afternoon.
The loss dropped the second-place Fighting Illini to 8-4 in conference play with four away games and four home contests left in the regular season.
Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with a game-high 28 points, his team-leading ninth outing with at least 20 points. After totaling a team-high 16 first-half points, Shannon did not slow down in the final frame with a team-most 12 points after the break. He also totaled seven rebounds and one assist while going 12-for-13 from the free-throw line.
Coleman Hawkins reached double figures for the second game in a row, recording 14 points. Knocking down two 3-pointers, his 11th game with multiple treys, Hawkins also grabbed three boards, dished out a season-high seven assists, and made a team-high two steals.
Marcus Domask tallied 12 points, his 14th consecutive game in double figures. He also amassed four rebounds and two assists, and his team-best two blocks equaled his season-high mark.
Luke Goode hit two 3-pointers en route to a six-point, seven-rebound performance before fouling out late in the game. Justin Harmon registered seven points off the bench.
Ty Rodgers notched eight points and two boards in his return to his home state.
The tightly contested game featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes. The Illini led, 33-25, with just under six minutes to play in the first half before MSU went on a 14-2 run to take a 39-35 lead with two minutes left before the break. The Spartans held a 44-41 advantage at the half, but the Illini used a 12-2 run of their own to turn a 62-60 deficit into a 72-64 lead at the 7:38 mark of the second half. Illinois' offense hit just one more field goal in the contest, Justin Harmon's layup with 22 seconds to play, as MSU closed the game on a 24-8 run to seal the win and snap the Illini's three-game Big Ten win streak.
No. 10 Illinois (17-6, 8-4 B1G) returns to State Farm Center on Tuesday night, when the Illini square off with the Michigan Wolverines. Tuesday's tipoff from Champaign is slated for 6 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on Peacock.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
PLAYER NOTES
- Terrence Shannon Jr. recorded a game-high 28 points and added seven rebounds and one assist.
- Recorded his team-leading ninth game of the season with 20+ points, and his second straight in a road Big Ten game after scoring 23 at Ohio State (1/30/24).
- Reached double-figures scoring with more than seven minutes to go in the first half, and posted 16 points by halftime.
- Has scored in double figures in 27 straight contests dating back to Jan. 31, 2023
- Hit multiple 3-pointers for his third straight game and his 12th time overall this season.
- Grabbed a season-high three offensive rebounds, which was also a team-best tally.
- Went 12-for-13 from the free-throw line.
- His 12 free throws are the most in a single game by an Illini this season.
- Coleman Hawkins finished his outing with 14 points, three rebounds, a season-high seven assists, and two steals.
- Reached double-figures scoring for the second straight game and the 13th time in his last 15 games.
- Has connected on multiple 3-pointers 11 times this season and seven times in Big Ten play
- Dished out a season-high seven assists, his most since recording a career-high 10 last season in Illinois' win over Syracuse (11/29/22).
- His seven assists tied the team's second-best individual assist mark in a game this season.
- Marcus Domask tallied 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a team-high two blocks.
- Posted his 14th consecutive game in double-digits scoring, and his 17th overall in 23 games this season.
- Tied his season-high mark with three 3-pointers, his fifth game of the season with multiple triples.
- Recorded his third game with multiple blocks.
- Ty Rodgers ended his afternoon with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist.
- The Saginaw, Mich., native, has scored at least eight points against every opponent from his home state this season.
- Luke Goode splashed in two 3-pointers and totaled six points, seven rebounds, and one block.
- Has tallied at least one triple in 19 games, including every road game this year, and has knocked down multiple 3-pointers 13 times.
- Recorded his second block of the season.
- His first since also making one block against Valparaiso (11/17/23).
- Justin Harmon dished out three assists, matching his season-high total for the second straight game.
TEAM NOTES
- The loss snaps Illinois' three-game Big Ten win streak and the team's four-game streak vs. Michigan State.
- The Illini went 11-for-30 from 3-point range and have connected on at least six 3-pointers in each of their last 18 games, a mark that ranks third nationally among Power Conference programs.
- The Illini knocked down 10+ 3-pointers for the eighth time this season.
- Six different players connected from 3-point range, including five in the first half.
- Tied the team's most this season.
- Six different players have tallied a 3-pointer in four games this season, most recently at Northwestern (1/24/24).
- The Illini made 15+ free-throws for the 16th consecutive game, a streak that ranks first nationally among all NCAA Division I programs.
- The team went 17-for-20 from the charity stripe, their third-best free-throw percentage (85%) in conference play this season.
- Illinois scored 11 second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds.
- The Illini bench outscored their Spartan counterparts, 15-14.
