Illinois Storms Back in Win Over Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

MINNEAPOLIS – Trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, Illinois battled back and scored the final six points of the game to secure a come-from-behind 77-74 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2021, the Orange and Blue used big performances from Terrence Shannon Jr., Dain Dainja, and Ty Rodgers to survive an upset bid from the Buckeyes at Target Center on Friday night.

Shannon recorded a game-high 28 points, his 36th consecutive game in double figures and his 16th outing this season with 20+ points. Scoring 14 points in the first half, Shannon accounted for four of the Illini's final six points and went 9-for-10 from the stripe in the second half. Shannon also tallied three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Dainja marked his return to his home state with 18 points and eight rebounds. Reaching the double-digit scoring mark for the seventh time this season, Dainja shot 70% from the field and recorded 12 of his 18 points after halftime. The difference for the Illini in the second half, Dainja also made one block.

Rodgers clinched his third double-double of the season with a 12-point, 10-rebound performance. Five of Rodgers' boards came on the offensive glass, while he went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the second half. He also notched one block.

Coleman Hawkins also made multiple big plays in the final two minutes of action, finishing with seven points and seven rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end of the floor. He also dished out two assists and accumulated two rejections.

The Illini won the rebounding battle, 44-40, while recording 17 second-chance points on 19 offensive boards.

The Illini's first two field goals of the night came via dunks from Shannon and Rodgers. Trailing for most of the opening seven minutes, Illinois took its first lead of the night following an 8-2 run. Dainja and Shannon combined for all eight points during that stretch, which put the Illini in front, 16-15.

The Buckeyes jumped back in front two minutes later, but the Illini pieced together a 7-0 run to retake the advantage. Shannon scored six points during those two minutes to move into double figures, which included a 3-pointer and an and-1 layup that put him over 2,000 career points. 

A 9-0 run from Ohio State put the Buckeyes into the lead once again before a Shannon transition dunk tied the game at 27. Luke Goode connected from 3-point range one minute later, which capped off a 5-0 Illini run.

Illinois went into the break with a 31-29 lead, in large part due to strong defense and a game-high 14 points froom Shanon through the opening 20 minutes of play. Dainja added six points off the bench, while the Illini took advantage of its defense by scoring eight fast-break points.

Ohio State began the second half with a 9-2 run, which gave the Buckeyes a six-point edge. After going scoreless in the first period of play, Domask opened his scoring with a 3-pointer before Justin Harmon knocked down two free throws, which evened the contest at 38.

The Buckeyes moved back in front shortly after, but four straight points from Rodgers moved him into double figures for the seventh time this season.

Staring down a double-digit deficit, 56-46, with 11 minutes to play, the Illini chipped away at the Ohio State edge. Seven points from Dainja and a 3-pointer from Shannon fueled a 13-3 run in less than three minutes, tying the contest at 59.

The Buckeyes pushed their lead back to five points with five minutes to go before Shannon and Dainja combined for back-to-back buckets to cut the Illini deficit to one. OSU responded with a layup before Hawkins scored his first points of the second half with a layup 24 seconds later.

After the Buckeyes regained a three-point lead, three straight points from Dainja knotted the game at 71 with just over two minutes remaining. Ohio State did not go away quietly, however, retaking the advantage with a 3-pointer with 74-71 with 1:44 to play.

Shannon got to the free-throw line on the Illini's next possession, cutting Illinois' deficit to one point. After Hawkins recorded a block and grabbed a defensive rebound on the Buckeyes' next trip down the floor, the Illini senior forward drew a foul, went to the stripe, and knocked down two free throws. His points put the Orange and Blue in front for the first time since the first 18 seconds coming out of halftime.

Hawkins drew an offensive foul on the Buckeyes' ensuing possession before corralling two offensive rebounds on the Illini's next trip. With Ohio State forced to foul, Shannon extended the Illinois lead to three points with 11 seconds remaining. Forcing a stop on the Buckeyes' final shot attempts, Illinois survived another day and moved on in the Big Ten Tournament.

Illinois now advances to take on the winner of [3] Nebraska and [6] Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The game will tip off from Target Center at about 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

HIGHLIGHTS 

PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes

• Terrence Shannon Jr. registered a game-high 28 points while also totaling three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
  • Recorded his second straight 20-point game, his 16th of the season and the 26th of his Illinois career. 
    • Shannon's 26 career 20-point games rank tied for 10th in program history (Nick Anderson, 1988-89; Rick Schmidt, 1973-75) and his 16 this season are tied for sixth at Illinois (Malcolm Hill, 2016; Kiwane Garris, 1997). 
  • Shannon scored in double figures for the 36th consecutive outing, surpassing the 10-point mark with 8:16 to play in the first half. 
  • Shannon's 10th point of the game also moved him past 2,000 points for his Division I career. He now has 2,018 points in his career.  
    • Illinois is the only power-conference program in the nation to feature two active players with 2,000 career points (Domask 2,118).
  • Went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.
    • Made 10+ free throws for the seventh time this season.
• Dain Dainja amassed 18 points and eight rebounds in his 20 minutes off the bench.
  • Dainja's 18 points marked his highest scoring output in 20 games since posting 19 in Illinois' win over FDU on Dec. 29. 
    • It marked his seventh time this season in double-figures scoring and the 19th time in his career. 
    • Tallied double-digit points against a Big Ten opponent for the second time this season.
  • Hauled in a season-high-tyiing eight rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
    • His fourth game of the season with eight rebounds. 
• Ty Rodgers secured the third double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Rodgers recorded his third-career double-double, all of which have come this season.
    • It is his first double-double since posting 13 points and 10 rebounds in Illinois' first matchup of the season vs. Ohio State on Jan. 30 in Columbus. 
  • Rodgers recorded his fourth-career game with 10+ rebounds.
    • Grabbed five of his 10 rebounds on the offensive glass.
      • Has totaled 5+ offensive boards in five games this season.
  • Scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.
    • First outing with 10+ points since recording 13 points at Ohio State on Jan. 30.
• Coleman Hawkins finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
  • Five of his seven boards came on the offensive glass.
    • Has 5+ offensive rebounds for the second time this season.
  • Recorded a team-high two blocks.
    • Has multiple swats for the ninth time this season. 

Team Notes

• Friday's win marks Illinois' 32nd Big Ten Tournament win in program history, the third-best mark in the conference. 
• Friday's meeting was the first meeting between Illinois and Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament since 2021, when the Illini secured an overtime win over the Buckeyes to claim the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the first time sice 2005.
• Second consecutive year the Illini have played the 10-seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Illini snapped a two-game losing skid in the Big Ten Tournament, picking up their first win in the competition since winning the title in 2021
• Illinois advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2021 and the 14th time overall, breaking a tie with OSU for the second-most in conference history. 
• Illinois is now 22-8 in Big Ten Tournament games when it is the higher (better) seed.
• Illinois improves to 18-8 all-time when playing its opening game of the Big Ten Tournament, and 11-3 when its first game is in the quarterfinal round.
• Illinois is now 4-2 vs. Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament matchups, and improves to 3-1 all-time when facing a 10th-seeded team.
• Illinois trailed by as many as 10 points in the win, tying for the largest deficit overcome in a victory this season (vs. Valparaiso, 11/17/23)
• Illinois made 21 free throws, its ninth game this season with at least 20 makes from the stripe.
• The Illini won the rebounding battle, 44-40, including 19-14 on the offensive glass.
• Illinois' 19 offensive rebounds marked a season-high total.
• Illinois scored 17 second-chance points for the second time in their last three games.