Friday, February 23, 2001
Ohio State 63, Illinois 61
Late 3 gives Buckeyes the upset
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — Sean Connolly never had a doubt when the ball left his hands. Frank Williams never had a chance.
Connolly's 3-pointer with 30 seconds left gave Ohio State a 63-61 upset of No.3 Illinois on Thursday night and opened up the race for the Big Ten title.
“I hit one of the biggest shots I've hit in college,” said Connolly, who missed his first three attempts from 3-point range.
Williams was boxed in on the Illini's last shot and his long attempt from in front of the Illinois bench fell short. Hundreds of fans flooded the floor at Value City Arena after the final buzzer.
With Illinois on top 61-60, the Buckeyes' Brent Darby was guarded by Sergio McClain in the backcourt and couldn't find an open man. But he was able to toss a pass to the left wing where Connolly broke open along the baseline. He turned and hit the 3-pointer to put Ohio State ahead 63-61.
“I came off a couple of screens and just came open,” said Connolly, a transfer from Providence in his first year with the Buckeyes. “It felt like it was going in when it left my hand.”
Brian Cook missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key with nine seconds remaining for Illinois. The Buckeyes' Tim Martin rebounded and was fouled but missed both free throws.
Williams, who had beaten Ohio State in the Big Ten opener a year ago with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, took the inbounds pass and dribbled to the left wing. Pressured by three defenders, his shot with two seconds left never was close.
“They did a good job of trapping me and they did a goo job of making it so I couldn't see anyone to pass to,” Williams said.
The Illini (21-6, 11-3) came in on a five-game winning streak and still lead Michigan State (10-3) by a half-game in the conference.
Ohio State (18-9, 9-5) had lost its first four games against ranked teams this season but now has knocked off four ranked teams in the last month, including Michigan State.
ILLINOIS (21-6) — Cook 3-8 0-0 6, McClain 1-2 0-0 2, Griffin 6-11 0-0 12, Bradford 2-3 3-3 7, Williams 9-18 2-3 22, Mast 0-0 0-0 0, Archibald 1-3 2-3 4, Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Harrington 2-4 0-0 6, Krupalija 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 7-9 61.
OHIO ST. (18-9) — Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 7-11 2-6 16, Connolly 2-6 0-0 5, Brown 8-11 1-2 18, Savovic 1-4 1-2 4, Darby 5-13 2-2 14, Radinovic 0-1 2-2 2, Ocokoljic 0-0 0-0 0, Dudley 1-4 0-0 2, Martin 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 25-51 8-16 63.
Halftime—Ohio St. 36, Illinois 29. 3-point goals—Illinois 4-15 (Harrington 2-3, Williams 2-6, Bradford 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Cook 0-4), Ohio St. 5-14 (Darby 2-5, Brown 1-2, Savovic 1-3, Connolly 1-4). Fouled out—McClain. Rebounds—Illinois 29 (Griffin 6), Ohio St. 25 (Johnson 7). Assists—
Illinois 14 (Williams 5), Ohio St. 18 (Savovic 6). Total fouls—Illinois 16, Ohio St. 15. A—19,200.
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Ohio State 63, Illinois 61