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Defensive woes haunt Illinois in 15-point loss to Penn State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Well, that's certainly not what we expected.

Illinois was riding high after a massive upset win over No. 2 Texas Tuesday night, but the feeling was short lived. Penn State came in with upset on their minds as they defeated Illinois 74-59 Saturday at State Farm Center.

The first half was a fist fight to start out, going back-and-forth with lead change after lead change and the game being tied often. The big storyline was Penn State being 6-of-9 from behind the arc, giving them a 47-38 lead at the break.

Penn State’s (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) veteran leadership led the way as Seth Lundy (13), Jalen Pickett (16) and Myles Dread (9) combined for 38 of the 47 first-half points.