Penn State upsets No. 16 Illinois 57-55
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew Jones converted an offensive rebound with 1 second left and Talor Battle scored 26 points to lead Penn State past No. 16 Illinois 57-55 on Tuesday night for its second straight upset of a ranked team.
After a layup by Bill Cole of Illinois tied the game with 20 seconds left, go-to guy Battle set up for the last shot. His off-balance attempt in the lane bounced off the rim and into the hands of Jones, the 6-foot-10 center who dunked in the go-ahead bucket.
Illinois' desperation heave downcourt was intercepted by Jones, and the blue-and-white faithful rushed the court despite repeated pleas from the public address announcer not to.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There was good reason to celebrate — it was the first time Penn State (10-6, 3-2 Big Ten) beat ranked foes in consecutive games since the 1954 NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions beat then-No. 18 Michigan State 66-62 on Saturday.
Mike Tisdale had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Illinois (13-4, 3-1), which had erased a 12-point first-half deficit.
After a potentially damaging nonconference loss to Maine, Penn State has had a dramatic midseason turnaround. They are 2-1 in the midst of a five-game stretch against ranked opponents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Battle, as usual, has been the spark plug. The 6-foot guard rebounded from a shooting slump with 3s from 35 and 28 feet, and got fouled repeatedly as he weaved through a chippy defense for mid-range jumpers. Battle finished 8 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point territory.
But it was Jones who made the big play at the end, surrounded by a throng of fans on the court after his dramatic putback. He finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The heroics didn't look necessary early on.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Flying around the court for one of its best defensive efforts of the season, Penn State took advantage of nine first-half turnovers by Illinois to jump out to a double-digit lead. Jeff Brooks' 3 in the corner off Tim Frazier's drive-and-dish made it 25-13 with 5:58 left.
It turned out to be the high point for Penn State's half.
After a cold-shooting start, the Illini hit 6 of 8 from the field over the final 8 minutes and closed the half with a 12-0 run. Illinois found success attacking the basket, with Mike Davis' inside basket just before the first-half buzzer tying the game at 25 before the seesaw second half.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cole and Davis both finished with eight points for Illinois, which shot 41 percent for the game after opening Big Ten play hitting 64 percent from the field.