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No. 22 Illinois avoids three-game skid with 79-65 victory over Penn State

After dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season against Maryland and Ohio State, the Illini are back in the win column.

Illinois picked up its first conference sweep of the year, besting Penn State, 79-65, on Tuesday night at State Farm Center in Champaign.

Cold starts have been an issue for the Illini (10-5, 6-3 Big Ten) this season, and head coach Brad Underwood hasn’t shied away from saying so this past week. With a new-look starting five that included Jacob Grandison in place of Da’Monte Williams, the Illini jumped out to a 13-5 lead against a Penn State (3-6, 0-5 Big Ten) team they fell behind 19-4 to just a few weeks back.