PHILADELPHIA — David Mirković had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kylan Boswell scored 18 points to lead No. 20 Illinois to a 73-65 win over Penn State on Saturday night at the Palestra.
Keaton Wagler scored 16 points and Zvonimir Ivišić added five blocked shots for the Illini (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) in the first of a 12-day stretch in which they play three of four conference opponents on the road.
Kayden Mingo scored 16 points for Penn State, which is trying to end a two-year run of missing the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions (9-5, 0-3) tried to pull off the win with the long ball but missed 30 of 38 3-point attempts and had every small run derailed by wildly off-target shots.
Penn State enjoyed plenty of success over the last 10 years in Big Ten games at the Palestra, the nearly 100-year-old gym on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania where players from Wilt Chamberlain to LeBron James have played. The Nittany Lions beat a tough Michigan State team in 2017 and defeated No. 23 Iowa in 2020.
Penn State at least kept it close in a game in which they were 16½-point betting underdogs, according to BetMGM online sportsbook.
Nittany Lions fans who filled the bulk of the Palestra bleachers roared when Tibor Mirtič made a layup that made it 57-49 and briefly put the threat of an upset within reach. Mingo hit a late 3 that made it 73-63.
The Ilini, who already lost one conference game to Nebraska this season, rolled to their fifth win in six games and fourth straight overall on the road, in large part due to a decisive edge on the boards (48-37) and at the free-throw line. Illinois shot 23-for-28 from the line. Penn State was 9-for-14.
Up next
- Illinois: Hosts Rutgers on Thursday.
- Penn State: Hosts No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday.