MENS BASKETBALL

Illinois 87, Ohio State 75

JACOB BENGE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Marcus Domask and Terrence Shannon Jr. each had 23 points and Ty Rodgers had 13 as No. 14 Illinois beat Ohio State 87-75.

Illinois (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten) held a 41-34 lead at the break after going 7-of-10 in the final 6:32 of the first half. Ohio State went scoreless in final 2:16 of that span.

The Fighting Illini stretched their lead to 16 points in the second half.

Rodgers posted the second double-double of his career adding 10 rebounds.

It was Shannon’s fourth game back after sitting out six games because of a university-imposed suspension.

Shannon is facing a rape charge in Kansas, but he was granted a preliminary injunction by a federal judge on Jan. 19 that forced Illinois to reinstate him to the team.

Ohio State (13-8, 3-7) got within 10 points after Jamison Battle made a 3 with 1:54 remaining. The Buckeyes shot 6-of-10 in the final five minutes and went 50% on the night.

Battle scored 21 points and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 20 for the Buckeyes.

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The Fighting Illini earn their fourth win in the past five games and second in a row. They’ve averaged 84.4 points per game during the stretch.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes’ losing streak extends to three games, tying their season-long, and they’ve lost six of their past seven.

Illinois athletics press release

January 30, 2024