National Basketball Association
Illinois 53, Michigan St 46
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 1, 2014
Where: Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan
Officials:
# D.J. Carstensen, # Pat Driscoll, # Michael Kitts
Attendance:
14797
By SportsDirect Inc.
Illinois 53, No. 18 Michigan State 46: Tracy Abrams scored 12 points as the Illini stunned the host Spartans with their third straight victory.
Rayvonte Rice and and Malcolm Hill added 10 points apiece as Illinois (17-12, 6-10 Big Ten) won its third straight game and snapped a six-game losing streak in East Lansing. Freshman Kendrick Nunn recorded eight points, six rebounds and four assists, while Abrams and Rice had five steals apiece as the Illini finished with a season-high 14.
Gary Harris scored 19 points for Michigan State (22-7, 11-5), which failed in its first bid to clinch a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament while losing consecutive games for the first time this season. Branden Dawson returned after missing the last nine contests with a broken hand and recorded six points and seven rebounds.
Michigan State trailed 21-9 before rallying to forge a 28-28 tie at the break as Harris scored eight of his 11 first-half points during the burst. The Spartans took their first lead on Gavin Schilling's bucket 10 seconds into the second half, but the Illini responded with a 9-0 run - capped by Hill's 3-pointer.
Michigan State got as close as 42-39 on Harris' 3-pointer with 9:54 left, but Illinois extended the lead to 47-39 on Rice's jumper with 7:59 to go and 52-43 after Abrams' bucket with 2:58 to play. Harris' 3-pointer made it 52-46 with 1:44 left and the Spartans let the clock run out after Denzel Valentine missed a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Michigan State fielded a complete lineup for the first time since Jan. 4. ... Illinois has held its last four opponents to less than 50 points. ... The loss by the second-place Spartans clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament and at least a share of the regular-season title for Michigan.
Top Game Performances
| Illinois |
|
Michigan St |
|
Tracy Abrams 12 |
Scoring |
Gary Harris 19 |
|
Tracy Abrams 4 |
Assists |
Keith Appling 4 |
|
Kendrick Nunn 6 |
Rebounds |
Branden Dawson 7 |
|
Tracy Abrams 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Branden Dawson 2 |
|
Tracy Abrams 5 |
Steals |
Gary Harris 4 |
|
Nnanna Egwu 3 |
Blocks |
Matt Costello 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Illinois
|
53 |
47.7 |
8-18 |
3-7 |
12 |
26 |
4 |
14 |
15 |
| Michigan St
|
46 |
39.1 |
6-18 |
4-11 |
12 |
33 |
3 |
8 |
16 |
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