Dosunmu, Cockburn lead No. 18 Illinois past Penn State 98-81
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half to lead No. 18 Illinois past Penn State 98-81 on Wednesday night.
Kofi Cockburn added 23 points and Andre Curbelo had 15 points and eight assists for the Illini (6-3, 2-1 Big Ten), who won their second straight at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State (3-3, 0-2) opened up a 19-4 lead over the first five minutes. The Illini used the remainder of the half to claw back, tying the game at 43 at halftime. Illinois took over midway through the second half, outrebounding Penn State 24-11 after the break. Dosunmu and Cockburn combined for 28 second-half points.
Myreon Jones scored 11 points during the Nittany Lions’ opening run and finished with 21. Izaiah Brockington also scored 21 points, Sam Sessoms had 12 and Myles Dread added 10 for the Nittany Lions.
While Penn State kept Dosunmu quiet and staved off Cockburn in the early minutes, Illinois’ stars eventually got going.
Midway through the opening half, Dosunmu sank a pair of wide-open 3-pointers from the same spot two minutes apart. The first was his first basket of the game, and the second sparked a 15-5 run. Cockburn capped the run and put Illinois up 40-37 with with his eighth basket of the half.
THE BIG PICTURE
Illinois: Dosunmu looked unflappable and Cockburn might be the most physically imposing player in the conference. Curbelo got both of them going with quick transition plays.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions hung around and should feel good about themselves considering the size they were giving up to the Illini.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Hosts Indiana on Saturday.
Penn State: Visits Indiana next Wednesday.
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