INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois found a way to survive.
In a game that felt messy early and much more tense late, 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 leaned on a huge first half from Cearah Parchment and just enough defense in the closing seconds to move on.
Michigan State had one final 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 path to that finish was anything but smooth.
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, something rarely seen from a team that entered the game among the Big Ten leaders in taking care of the ball.
Michigan State quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead as Kennedy Blair attacked in transition and Grace VanSlooten finished around the rim.
Parchment steadied things almost by herself. 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 get downhill for a layup and later cleaned up a missed shot with an offensive rebound and putback.
By halftime, Parchment had 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting and had drawn multiple fouls, helping Illinois flip the early deficit into a 36-29 lead at the break.
Illinois slowly started to settle in around her.
Maddie Webber brought energy off the bench with a coast-to-coast layup and later knocked down a deep three. Aaliyah Guyton added a corner three off a Berry Wallace assist, and Destiny Jackson hit a tough floater late in the second quarter to keep the Illini in front.
The Illini defense also locked in during that stretch, holding Michigan State without a made three-pointer in the entire first half.
The game tightened again after halftime.
Michigan State leaned heavily on Blair, who attacked nearly every possession and kept the Spartans within striking distance. The guard eventually finished with a career and game-high 30 points, including 16 in the second half.
A quick Spartans run in the third quarter briefly flipped the lead before Illinois answered.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger provided one of the biggest swings of the game during that stretch. She scored five straight points on a tough driving layup followed by a wing three to swing momentum back toward Illinois. Jackson added an and-one floater soon after as the Illini carried a 53-48 lead into the fourth.
Illinois pushed that lead to nine early in the final quarter behind more attacking from Brown-Hagger and Jackson.
Still, Michigan State never went away.
Blair kept slicing into the paint and eventually helped cut the lead to two inside the final minute. Jackson answered with a clutch layup to give Illinois a little breathing room, but the Spartans again cut the lead to two with 32 seconds left.
That eventually set up the final chaotic sequence.
With total control of the game and only 2 seconds separating shot and game clock, Jackson got rushed and turned the ball over with about 20 seconds remaining, giving Michigan State a huge chance to tie or take the lead. Illinois’ defense held strong, forcing a turnover in the closing seconds and securing the win.
Parchment led Illinois with 15 points and six rebounds. Jackson finished with 14 points and five assists. Webber added 13 points off the bench, and Brown-Hagger scored 12 during a key second-half stretch.
The Illini now move on in Indianapolis after surviving one of their toughest games of the season.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Guyton finds Parchment on the wing for a pump fake and driving layup.
Brown-Hagger knocks down a huge 3 to swing momentum back to Illinois, following her layup the possession before.
Illinois seals the win with an inbound pass as the clock expires and the team goes in a frenzy.
STAT STUFFERS
- Illinois had 15 points off of turnovers
- The Illini shot 43% from beyond
- Brown Hagger shot 83% from the field, scoring 12 points
UP NEXT
Illinois advances to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Illini will face No. 2 seed Iowa. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. CT and will air on BTN.
Illinois will look to get revenge on another Big Ten foe, after losing to Iowa 82-78 just over a week ago in Iowa City.
