CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Mike Davis scored 22 points, including 10 on dunks, to lead struggling Illinois past Penn State 68-51 Tuesday night in front of a sparse crowd held down by a winter storm.
Davis scored seven straight points midway through the second half to give the Illini (15-7, 5-4 Big Ten) a 50-39 lead with just over 10 minutes to play. Four minutes later he calmly buried a pair of free throws that put the game out of reach at 60-45.
Bill Cole added 10 for the Illini, who had lost their last two games.
Penn State (12-9, 5-5) lost senior forward Jeff Brooks just before halftime to a dislocated right shoulder. Tim Frazier and Talor Battle had 12 points each for the Nittany Lions.
Just under 3,500 fans braved one of the worst winter storms in years to get to the Assembly Hall. That’s less than one-fifth of facility’s capacity.
