Illinois takes revenge on Spartans and advances to the quarterfinals

INDIANAPOLIS – Illinois has found a way to survive.

In a game that looked complicated early and much tenser later, the No. 10 seed Illini held off No. 7 seed Michigan State 71-69 Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Illinois relied on a huge first half from Cearah Parchment and just enough defense in the final seconds to move on.

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Michigan State had one last chance after a late Illinois turnover with 20 seconds left, but the Illini forced a turnover of their own in the final moments to seal it.

The road to this arrival has been anything but easy.

Illinois opened the game looking completely out of rhythm. The Illini turned the ball over four straight times to start the night and had six turnovers in the first three minutes, which is rarely seen on a team that entered the game among the Big Ten leaders taking care of the ball.

Michigan State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as Kennedy Blair attacked in transition and Grace VanSlooten finished around the rim.

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Parchment stabilized things almost on its own. The freshman forward scored Illinois’ first six points and repeatedly attacked the paint when the offense stalled. She used a pump fake from the perimeter to come down for a layup and then cleaned up a missed shot with an offensive rebound and putback.

By halftime, Parchment had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and committed several fouls, helping Illinois turn the early deficit into a 36-29 lead at the break.

Illinois slowly began to settle in around her.

Maddie Webber brought energy to the bench with a coast-to-coast layup and then knocked down a deep three. Aaliyah Guyton added a corner three on an assist from Berry Wallace, and Destiny Jackson hit a tough floater late in the second quarter to keep the Illini in front.

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The Illini defense also locked down during this stretch, holding Michigan State without a three-pointer for the entire first half.

The game got even tighter after halftime.

Michigan State relied heavily on Blair, who attacked almost every possession and kept the Spartans within striking distance. The guard ultimately finished with a career- and game-high 30 points, including 16 in the second half.

A quick run by the Spartans in the third quarter briefly reversed the lead before Illinois responded.

Jasmine Brown-Hagger provided one of the biggest twists of the match during this sequence. She scored five straight points on a tough driving layup, followed by a three from the wing to regain Illinois’ momentum. Jackson added a floater and a short after as the Illini led 53-48 in the fourth.

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Illinois pushed that lead to nine early in the final quarter behind more attacks from Brown-Hagger and Jackson.

Yet Michigan State never disappeared.

Blair continued to penetrate the paint and eventually helped cut the lead to two in the final minute. Jackson responded with a clutch layup to give Illinois some breathing room, but the Spartans cut the lead to two again with 32 seconds left.

This ultimately set up the final chaotic sequence.

With complete control of the game and only 2 seconds separating the shot and the game clock, Jackson rushed and turned the ball over with about 20 seconds left, giving Michigan State a huge chance to tie or take the lead. Illinois’ defense held strong, forcing a turnover in the final seconds and securing the victory.

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Parchment led Illinois with 15 points and six rebounds. Jackson finished with 14 points and five assists. Webber added 13 points coming off the bench and Brown-Hagger scored 12 during a key sequence in the second half.

The Illini now head to Indianapolis after surviving one of their toughest games of the season.

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