Illini Crumble In 2nd Half, Fall At Ohio State 77-61
Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell, left, and Illinois' Malcolm Hill chase a loose ball during the Illini's 77-61 loss Saturday.
D'Angelo Russell scored 22 points, including eight during a decisive 15-0 second-half run, to lead No. 20 Ohio State past Illinois 77-61 on Saturday.
Sam Thompson and Marc Loving each added 13 points for the Buckeyes (12-3, 1-1 Big Ten), which bounced back from a conference-opening, 71-65 loss at home to Iowa on Tuesday.
Rayvonte Rice had 20 points for the Illini (10-5, 0-2), who led by eight points in the first half and were ahead by three with 16:33 left before going scoreless for a span of 5:28.
Ohio State, shooting 52 percent from the field coming in, hit 60 percent.
The Illini forged a 37-36 halftime lead by hitting 8 of 15 3-pointers.
The Buckeyes shot 59 percent from the field, but also had nine turnovers that led to 16 Illini points.