CHAMPAIGN — Andrew Funk and Myles Dread combined for 11 3-pointers to give Penn State a 74-59 win over No. 17 Illinois on Saturday.
Funk and Jalen Pickett scored 20 points each, Seth Lundy added 16 and Dread had 15 to give the Nittany Lions (7-1, 1-1) their first Big Ten road win against a top-20 team since beating No. 16 Michigan State in 2020.
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Matthew Mayer led Illinois (7-3, 0-2) with 14 points, all in the first half.
Penn State shot 50% from long distance overall and hit 6 of 9 3s in the first half. Funk made another 3 to extend the lead to double digits on the opening possession after halftime.
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But Illinois strung together an 8-0 run and held Penn State scoreless for about five minutes to pull within 52-47. Then Funk hit back-to-back 3s — including one off an inbound pass — and Dread knocked down another in a span of 64 seconds to push the lead to 14 points at 61-47.
Funk added one more 3 to make it 74-56 with 3:51 left.
Penn State: An overtime loss at Clemson and a defeat to Michigan State were hardly reasons to discount the Nittany Lions from doing some damage in the Big Ten. Micah Shrewsberry’s experienced group was composed and found plenty of open shots against the normally formidable Illinois defense.
Illinois: Brad Underwood’s teams usually don’t fall into classic trap-game scenarios, but the Illini did Saturday after a cathartic overtime win over No. 2 Texas on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
Penn State: Hosts Canisius on Dec. 18.
Illinois: Hosts Alabama A&M on Saturday.
