East Lansing, Mich. — Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 22 of his game-high points in the second half and overtime as No. 10 Michigan State rallied past No. 5 Illinois, 85-82, in an overtime thriller Saturday night at the Breslin Center.
Fears finished with 26 points and 15 assists, shooting 12-of-13 from the free-throw line and sealing the win with four makes in the final 21 seconds of overtime. His 15 assists were the third-most in a single game in program history.
Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) placed four players in double figures. Jaxon Kohler posted a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds, while Jordan Scott and Kur Teng each added 10 points. Teng’s 3-pointer with 8.5 seconds left in regulation briefly gave the Spartans the lead before Illinois tied the game at the line to force overtime.
Illinois (20-4, 11-2) led by as many as nine points early in the second half before Michigan State battled back. After Illinois briefly regained the lead in overtime, Fears sparked a decisive run with a three-point play and clutch free throws down the stretch.
Michigan State outrebounded Illinois 48-38, held the Illini to 36.6 percent shooting, and committed just two turnovers after halftime.
The win marked Michigan State’s fourth straight victory over Illinois and improved head coach Tom Izzo to 31-22 all-time against the Illini.
Michigan State returns to action Friday, Feb. 13, at Wisconsin.