Penn State 74, Illinois 52

What happened

CHAMPAIGN — A year ago, Brad Underwood led Oklahoma State to the No. 1 ranking in offensive efficiency. This season, Underwood’s Illinois team has to lead its conference in longest scoring droughts.

A week after letting Ohio State go on a 20-0 run during an 11:31 scoring drought in a loss at Ohio State, Illinois allowed Penn State to go on a 17-0 run during an 8:34 scoring drought. During the scoreless streak, Illinois missed nine straight shots and had six turnovers. Both prolonged point droughts cost Illinois chances at wins.

Penn State (18-9, 8-6 Big Ten) outscored Illinois 37-16 in the second half to hand Illinois its worst home loss of the season. The Illini (12-14, 2-11 Big Ten) have lost four straight to the Nittany Lions.

Illinois out-rebounded Penn State on the game 32-28, but the Nittany Lions dominated Illinois — which was without starting forward Michael Finke due to a concussion — in points in the paint 34-12. Penn State shot 54.5 percent during the game, including 23-for-31 from two.

All five Penn State starters scored in double digits, led by Shep Garner (16), Tony Carr (15) and Lamar Stevens (11)

Leron Black led Illinois with 18 points and six rebounds, while Kipper Nichols added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. Freshman guard Trent Frazier struggled from the field (2-for-11) to finish with single-digit scoring (6 points) for just the second time in the last 16 games.

Leron Black scored 9 points on his first 4 shots to help Illinois claim a 21-15 early lead. But the Illini’s leading scorer picked up his second foul at the 11:57 mark, and the Illini’s leading scorer during Big Ten play, Trent Frazier, picked up his second foul at the 9:14 mark. With both on the bench, a 4:13 scoring drought ensued for Illinois, and Penn State took the lead.

When Black and Frazier checked back in with about six minutes left in the half, the Illini responded with a 7-0 run to take a 34-28 lead. But Penn State ended the half on a 9-2 run, scoring five points in the final 33 seconds off back-to-back Illinois turnovers, to take a 37-36 halftime lead. And that was just a sign of things to come.

In the second half, Illinois shot 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) and shot 2-for-6 from the free throw line.

What it means

Who would’ve thought a decade ago that Penn State basketball would be in a better place than Illinois basketball? Penn State has come a long way, and the Illini have gone the opposite way. Penn State has now won four straight against Illinois and 10 of the last 18, dating back to 2008. The Nittany Lions are fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth and are bigger, quicker and more athletic. Brad Underwood and his staff have a lot of work to do with this roster.

What’s next

Illinois heads back on the road for an 8 p.m. Wednesday tipoff (BTN) at Indiana. The Hoosiers (14-12, 7-7 Big Ten) are one of two Big Ten teams the Illini have defeated, topping Indiana 73-71 on Jan. 24 in Champaign. The Hoosiers are much-improved defensively under Archie Miller (second in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency), but they rank 11th in the conference in offensive efficiency. Juwan Morgan, who had 28 points and nine rebounds against Illinois, is averaging 22.6 points and 7.9 rebounds during the last seven games.

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