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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois' trip to the Big Ten tournament finals
was much easier the second time around.
The Illini, who knocked off three Top 25 teams on the way to
last year's championship round, played a near-perfect second half
Saturday as they beat a worn-out Penn State 94-84 in the Big Ten
semifinals.
Freshmen Brian Cook scored 18 points and Frank Williams added 16
to lead five Illinois players in double figures. The 25th-ranked
Illini (21-8) shot 74 percent from the field in the second half,
making 11 of its first 15 shots, and were 19-of-25 from the
free-throw line.
They had a season-high 30 assists on 33 field goals, and
outrebounded the Nittany Lions 34-27.
Jarrett Stephens led the ninth-seeded Nittany Lions (15-15) with
24 points and seven rebounds. Joe Crispin, still fighting an upper
respiratory infection, finished with 20 points and 11 assists. His
younger brother, Jon, scored 12 -- all on 3-pointers.
Illinois, the fourth seed, will play the winner of the
Wisconsin-Michigan State game in Sunday's final. Illinois lost to
the Spartans in last year's championship.
The ninth-seeded Nittany Lions, meanwhile, will go home and wait
to see if their stunning upset over No. 4 Ohio State in Friday's
quarterfinals was enough to get them to the NIT.
The game wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated.
Penn State was weary from its third game in three days, and
Illinois led by as much as 22 in the second half before coach Lon
Kruger sent in the subs.
Williams opened the second half with a 3-pointer, sparking a
15-8 run that gave the Illini a 57-44 lead with 15 minutes left.
Illinois made seven of its first nine shots, with Williams and Cook
leading the way. Williams scored seven during the run and Cook
added six.
Penn State hung around as long as it could. Jon, the younger,
lesser-known Crispin, made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Illinois'
lead to 63-52 with 12:10 left. But Marcus Griffin scored on a
layup, Bradford and Sean Harrington each made 3-pointers, and the
Illinois had a 71-55 lead with 9:47 left.
The Nittany Lions went the next five minutes without a field
goal, and by the time Brandon Watkins hit a layup with 5:44 left,
the only place the basket mattered was in the box score.
The only real blemish for the Illini was their turnovers, giving
up 19 points on 19 miscues.
Illinois, which has won nine of its last 10 games, went after
the weary Lions from the start. Griffin scored three straight
baskets during a 21-8 run that gave the Illini a 37-21 lead with
4:27 left in the half.
But Joe Crispin, who scored seven points in the final 2:20 in
Penn State's stunner over Ohio State, wasn't ready to go home just
yet. His 3-pointer sparked a 15-5 run that cut Illinois' lead to
42-36 at the half.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Penn State Clubhouse
Illinois Clubhouse
Cleaves takes control as Spartans oust Badgers
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