No. 12 Michigan State rallies and holds on to beat No. 19 Illinois 80-78 for 11th straight win

[January 20, 2025]  By LARRY LAGE

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Tre Holloman had 17 points, including two free throws in the closing seconds, Coen Carr and Frankie Fidler scored 11 each and No. 12 Michigan State held on to beat No. 19 Illinois 80-78 on Sunday.

The Spartans (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) extended their winning streak to 11 games, their longest run since the 2018-19 season that ended with Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo's eighth trip to the Final Four.  

Michigan State guard Tre Holloman (5) shoots against Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic (13) and Illinois forward Ben Humrichous as Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler, right, watches during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

The Fighting Illini (13-5, 6-2) took a 10-point lead in the first half and were trailing by one and had possession when Kylan Boswell turned over the ball with 5.9 seconds left.

Holloman made two free throws on the ensuing possession.

Izzo told his players to foul Boswell instead of giving up a 3-pointer. Boswell made the first free throw and after missing the second intentionally, he got to the ball and shot it from the baseline over the backboard, and the officials waved it off.

Illini star Kasparas Jakucionis was held to season lows in points (three) and minutes (nine) because of foul trouble.

Fellow freshman Will Riley came off the bench to pick up the scoring slack in the first half, scoring 16 points in eight minutes and finishing with 19.

Takeaways
Illinois: Coach Brad Underwood's team put together an impressive performance with Jakucionis, an NBA draft lottery prospect, on the bench for most of the game.

Michigan State: The hard-to-please Izzo will have to give his players credit for bouncing back from a double-digit deficit in the first half against one of the Big Ten's top teams.

Key moment
Illinois' bench was called for a technical foul for arguing a call with 3:18 left and Fidler made two free throws to give Michigan State a six-point lead.

Key stat
Jakucionis was 1 of 3, a lack of production because of foul trouble.

Up next
Michigan State plays at Rutgers on Saturday and Illinois hosts Maryland on Thursday night.

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