EAST LANSING, Mich. – In a physical Top 10 road battle that featured 12 ties and 16 lead changes, the No. 5 Fighting Illini fell for the first time since mid-December, 85-82, in overtime to No. 10 Michigan State at Breslin Center.
The Fighting Illini (20-4, 11-2 B1G) led by as many as nine points early in the second half, but Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 B1G) climbed back to take its first lead of the second half with just 32 seconds to play, and held off the Illini, 14-11, in the extra period.
David Mirkovic led the Illini with 18 points, and dished out a career-high six assists to go with six rebounds in the contest. Junior G Andrej Stojakovic posted 17 points and seven rebounds, and Keaton Wagler added 16 points (14 in the second half) with six rebounds and three assists.
Tomislav Ivisic scored 12 points before fouling out of the game for the final 2:22 of the overtime period, while his twin brother Zvonimir Ivisic recorded a team-leading eight rebounds and three blocks.
The loss snapped the Illini's win streak at 12 and puts the Orange and Blue a half game behind No. 2 Michigan (21-1, 11-1 B1G) in the Big Ten regular season title race heading into the Wolverines' matchup Sunday at Ohio State.
Illinois returns to Champaign, playing host to the Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday at State Farm Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on NBCSN and Peacock.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes
- Andrej Stojakovic finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
- Scored in double figures for the 13th game this season, second straight.
- Grabbed at least seven boards for the fifth time.
- Keaton Wagler posted 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
- Tallied his 21st double-digit scoring effort of the season.
- Now has 10+ points in 16 consecutive outings, averaging 20.0 ppg during that span.
- Has scored in double figures in all 13 Big Ten appearances (20.8 ppg)
- Scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half/overtime.
- Went 10-for-12 from the free throw line.
- Made 10+ free throws for the third time.
- Three of his six rebounds came on the offensive glass.
- Corralled at least three o-boards for the eighth time.
- David Mirkovic registered a team-high 18 points, six rebounds, six assists, a block, and a steal.
- Recorded a career-high six assists.
- Posted his 18th outing with double-digit points.
- Has 10+ points in seven straight games.
- Three of his six rebounds came on the offensive glass.
- Secured 3+ o boards for the 11th time this season.
- Tomislav Ivisic logged 12 points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal before fouling out in overtime.
- Secured his 11th double-digit scoring performance of the season.
- 88 three-pointers over the last two seasons, the most in the nation among 7-footers.
- Made multiple 3-pointers for the 11th time this season.
- Has 2+ triples in six of the last eight games.
- Made his first three shots from the field.
- Jake Davis tallied six points, three rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
- Tied his career-high and set a new season-best with two steals.
- Has at least one offensive rebound in eight straight games.
- His two free throws with one second remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime.
- Ben Humrichous posted eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block off the bench.
- Tallied his team-leading 47th game with at least one 3-pointer over the last two seasons.
- Made multiple 3-pointers for the ninth time this season.
- Has 2+ treys in five of the last six games.
- Two of his four rebounds came on the offensive glass.
- Has multiple offensive rebounds in six appearances and has at least one o board in six consecutive outings.
- Zvonimir Ivisic amassed five points, a team-high eight rebounds, and three blocks.
- Tallied his 16th game of the season with at least one 3-pointer
- Made at least three blocks for the ninth time this season.
- Recorded his 21st game of the season with at least one block, 13th straight.
- Has multiple blocks in seven of the last eight games.
Team Notes
- Starters: Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivisic, David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Keaton Wagler.
- The Illini played their first overtime game of the season.
- Illinois' 12-game winning streak came to an end, which was the program's longest since winning 12 straight games to open the 2012-13 season.
- The Illini went 20-for-24 from the free throw line, the team's seventh game with at least 20 makes from the charity stripe.
- Illinois committed a season-low four turnovers.
- The Illini's four turnovers are their fewest since also registering four vs. Minnesota on Feb. 28, 2024.
- The Illini posted a 14-12 advantage in second-chance points, entering the game leading the Big Ten in second-chance scoring (15.9 ppg).
- Michigan State entered the game leading the nation in fewest second-chance points allowed (6.5 per game).
- Illinois entered the game ranked first in the Big Ten with 11.2 3-pointers per game and knocked down 10 triples vs. Michigan State.
- Illini have made 10+ 3-pointers in a Big Ten-leading 18 games this season with a 15-3 record.
- The Illini have knocked down at least 10 triples in 14 of the last 16 games, highlighted by school-record tying 18 treys in the win at No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 24.
- Illinois tied a season high with 21 fouls, allowing Michigan State to shoot 20-for-23 from the free-throw line, the most makes and tied for the most attempts (Alabama) for an Illini opponent this season.
- Illinois entered the game ranked first in the nation in defensive free-throw rate (18.1) and second in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game.
