CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 11 Michigan State rallied to beat Illinois 79-65 on Saturday night, giving longtime Spartans head coach Tom Izzo the most conference wins in Big Ten history.
Izzo moved past late Indiana coach Bobby Knight with his record 354th conference victory.
Jaxson Kohler had 23 points and 10 rebounds while Tre Holloman scored 14 points in the win. Jase Richardson contributed 11 points and Coen Carr had 10 for the Spartans (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten), who outscored Illinois 42-24 in the second half. They finished with a 15-point run as the Illini missed their last 18 shots over the final 8 1/2 minutes.
Illinois led the entire first half and were up by as many as 16 points. The Spartans got back into it with a 13-point run late in the first, setting the stage for their domination in the second half.
Morez Johnson Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis each scored 17 points for Illinois (19-7, 9-7).
The Associated Press contributed to this story.