The No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini are trailing 25-23 against the Penn State Nittany Lions going into halftime on the road. Illinois is trying to maintain hold of its lead in the Big Ten standings, while Penn State is trying to get out of the basement after losing five of its past six games.
The Fighting Illini got out to an early lead, eventually getting up by as many as eight points. The Nittany Lions came back, though, riding a 16-6 run into the break to take the advantage. Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, with Illinois coming in at 33 percent shooting from the field while Penn State shot just slightly better at 35 percent.
Brandon Paul leads the way for Illinois after his monster game against Ohio State, scoring nine points. D.J. Richardson and Meyers Leonard have also scored six points apiece, with those three accounting for all but two of the Fighting Illini's points thus far. Cammeron Woodyard leads Penn State with 10 points and Tim Frazier has added eight points and four rebounds.
For more coverage of the Illini, be sure to explore Hail to the Orange. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for live, in-game scores and updates. News and analysis on the Nittany Lions is available at Black Shoes Diary.