Champaign, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Craft led with 14 points as the No.
22 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini, 48-39, at State
Farm Center.
LaQuinton Ross supplied nine points and six rebounds, while Marc Loving had
eight points off the bench for the Buckeyes (20-6, 7-6 Big Ten), who have won
four of their last five.
Tracy Abrams scored 13 points, Rayvonte Rice contributed 11, and Nnanna Egwu
had 14 boards for the Fighting Illini (14-12, 3-10), who have dropped two
straight and 10 of their last 11. Illinois shot 28.3 percent (15-of-53) from
the field.
"Obviously our offense was anemic today. I thought Ohio State's defense had a
lot to do with that. They imposed their will defensively." said Illinois coach
John Groce.
Craft's 3-point play brought the Buckeyes within 10-9 nearly five minutes into
the game. Craft accounted for seven of Ohio State's first nine points.
A few minutes later, Egwu tipped in Joseph Bertrand's miss and Abrams knocked
down a three to give the Illini a 15-9 lead
Ross' layup ignited a 7-2 run that contained a three from Amedeo Della Valle
and a layup from Shannon Scott that capped the run at 7:47 to get the Buckeyes
within 17-16.
Trailing 23-20 at the break, Ross drained a three to tie the game 22 seconds
into the half.
Craft knocked down a three in the midst of a 7-0 spurt for the Buckeyes that
ended with a jumper from Lenzelle Smith Jr. that made it a 30-25 game with
13:28 to go.
Illinois got within one on a pair of free throws from Abrams, but Ohio State
built a healthy lead thanks to a 12-0 run. Loving was strong, scoring the
final eight points to give the Buckeyes a 42-29 lead with 5:25 remaining.
Rice's triple and two layups gave the Fighting Illini six straight points to
make it 44-39 with a minute left. Smith and Craft both hit a pair of free
throws to account for the final score.
Game Notes
Ohio State has won the last three games and four of the last five over
Illinois ... Illinois held a 36-34 rebounding edge ... Ohio State had 17
points off the bench compared to Illinois' two ... The Fighting Illini were
outscored in the paint, 20-12.