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 on Tuesday night.
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 the 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 following his arrest on a rape charge in Kansas. A preliminary injunction by a federal judge on Jan. 19 forced Illinois to reinstate him to the team.
Ohio State (13-8, 3-7 Big Ten) 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.
Up next
Illinois: Hosts Nebraska on Sunday.
Ohio State: Travels to Iowa on Friday.
