National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Illinois 42, Michigan St 41
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Where: Assembly Hall, Champaign, Illinois
Officials: # Jim Burr, # Pat Driscoll, # Glenn Mayborg
Attendance: 15629
Brandon Paul scored 18 points to lead Illinois to a ugly 42-41 win over Michigan State at Assembly Hall.

Illinois (16-6, 5-4 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing skid and picked up its third win in the last four meetings with the Spartans. Michigan State (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) lost its third straight road game and its third straight trip to Assembly Hall.

Paul missed the first shot of two one-and-one free throws to give Michigan State a chance to win at the buzzer, but Spartans guard Keith Appling missed a layup in a crowded key in the dying seconds.

Michigan State leading scorer Draymond Green had a rough night. After missing the morning shoot-around with flu-like symptoms, Green got into early foul trouble and a verbal clash with coach Tom Izzo following a technical foul. He scored just five points before going down with a knee injury with under four minutes remaining in the game

With Green limited, the Spartans offense was out of sorts. Michigan State shot just 7-for-30 in the first half, but trailed by only two points at the break. It finished shooting just 25 percent for the game, but compensated with 18 offensive rebounds.

Illinois 7-footer Meyers Leonard struggled against a beefy Spartans frontcourt. He scored six points in the win.

Branden Dawson led the Spartans with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Top Game Performances
 
Michigan St   Illinois
Branden Dawson 12 Scoring Brandon Paul 18
Keith Appling 2 Assists Brandon Paul 5
Branden Dawson 13 Rebounds Brandon Paul 9
Branden Dawson 4 Free Throws Made Brandon Paul 5
Keith Appling 1 Steals Brandon Paul 2
Keith Appling 1 Blocks Meyers Leonard 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan St 41 24.1 3-14 10-12 4 43 3 3 15
Illinois 42 32.6 3-17 9-17 7 30 6 4 12