Tillman's slam lifts Michigan State over No. 22 Illinois

[February 12, 2020]    Xavier Tillman dunked the rebound of Cassius Winston's missed shot with 6.5 seconds left Tuesday night, enabling Michigan State to snap a three-game losing streak with a 70-69 Big Ten Conference win over No. 22 Illinois in Champaign, Ill.

Michigan State Spartans forward Xavier Tillman (23) celebrates with guard Cassius Winston (5) and forward Aaron Henry (11) after the second half as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (right bottom) lays on the floor at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Freshman Kofi Cockburn canned two foul shots with 19.1 seconds remaining to give the Fighting Illini (16-8, 8-5 Big Ten) a 69-68 lead. But Tillman capped a 17-point, 11-rebound performance with his put-back. Illinois' last possession ended with a turnover from Ayo Dosunmu, who injured his left leg on the play.

Dosunmu, who slipped and had his leg turn awkwardly, had to be assisted off the court. He finished with a team-high 17 points.

Four players scored in double figures for the Spartans (17-8, 9-5), with freshman Rocket Watts contributing a career-high 21 points. Aaron Henry added 13 and Winston finished with 12 as Michigan State canned 49.1 percent from the field.

The Illini now own a three-game losing streak heading into road dates with Rutgers and No. 13 Penn State. Andres Feliz added 15 off the Illinois bench, and Cockburn finished with 11 points.

Illinois erased a 20-point deficit early in the second half, taking its first lead of the game when Dosunmu converted a layup with 5:27 left for a 61-60 edge. Feliz scored his team's next six points, bringing the Illini within 68-67 in the last minute with two foul shots.

Coming in with three straight losses that gave it the rare indignity of dropping out of the Associated Press Top 25 after starting the season as a near-unanimous No. 1, Michigan State played with a sense of urgency in controlling the first half.

The Spartans rattled off the first eight points, forcing Illinois coach Brad Underwood into calling a timeout before his team scored a point after Watts' transition jumper at the 16:53 mark.

Another Watts jumper pushed the margin to 10 with 11:28 left in the half, and the gap stayed in double figures for the half's remainder except for 56 seconds. Michigan State used an 11-2 run to go up 35-16 on Henry's 3-pointer with 3:30 remaining and went into the locker room up 37-20.

--Field Level Media

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