CHAMPAIGN — Theryn Hallock scored 15 of her career-best 26 points in the fourth quarter as the No. 22 Michigan State women’s basketball rolled to an 86-68 win over Illinois on Sunday.
The junior from Grand Rapids topped her previous best of 24 points set on New Year’s Day against Purdue by knocking down a career-high 12 of 19 from the field. She converted six layups and knocked down a 3-pointer in the final quarter as the Spartans closed the game on a 24-15 run.
Michigan State (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) held a nine-point lead at intermission and that lead remained to start the fourth quarter, 62-53. Illinois scored its first seven points of the fourth quarter at the free throw line and did not score a field goal until Kendall Bostic’s layup with 6:03 remaining.
The Spartans scored 52 points in the paint, scored 26 points off of 22 Illinois turnovers and converted 22 of 30 layups.
Grace VanSlooten converted 9 of 14 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line to finish with 24 points for the Spartans, who were a collective 34 of 66 from the floor, including 5 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Bostic finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead Illinois (13-5, 3-4). Adalia McKenzie finished with 15 points and Jasmine Brown-Hagger contributed 12 points and four assists.
Michigan State returns home to play host to Penn State on Wednesday. Illinois plays at Northwestern on Thursday.
Originally Published:
