Penn State upsets Illinois

PENN STATE 57 – ILLINOIS 55

Penn State (10-6, 3-2 Big Ten) held off Illinois (13-4, 3-1) in what turned into a nail-biter finish at the Bryce Jordan Center Tuesday night. Andrew Jones gave Penn State the win when he scored on a put-back with one second remaining.

Penn State senior Talor Battle led both teams with 26 points in the Big Ten matchup, inlcuding the opening basket 28 seconds in that set to tone for a game the Nittany Lions controlled most of the night.

Illinois closed the gap after Penn State controlled most of the first half, and Illinois senior Mike Tisdale landed a 3-pointer to put the Illini back on top by one midway through the second half. Battle struck again with another 3 to give PSU an immediate answer and another two-point lead.  

The Illini tied the game twice, at 50 then again at 55 on a layup by Bill Cole with 20 seconds left.

Battle then set up for the last shot, but his off-balance attempt in the lane bounced off the rim and into the hands of Jones, the 6-10 center who dunked in the go-ahead bucket.

Illinois' desperation heave downcourt was intercepted by Jones, and the blue-and-white faithful rushed the court despite repeated pleas from the public address announcer not to.

STAT SHEET

Illinois: M. Tisdale 16 Pts, 14 Reb, 3 Blk

Penn State: T. Battle 26 Pts, 3 Ast, 3 Stl

Illinois: From the floor - 19-46 (41.3%); From the line - 10-11 (90.9%); 3 pointers - 7-16 (43.8%)

Penn State: From the floor - 18-52 (34.6%); From the line - 14-14 (100%); 3-pointers - 7-24 (29.2%)

NEXT UP

Both teams hit the road on Saturday as Illinois travels to meet the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday at 3 pm and Penn State heads off to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes at 5:30 pm.