Paul's 43 Leads Illini Past Ohio State, 79-74
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Brandon Paul scored a career-high 43 points including, a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play, to help Illinois upset No. 5 Ohio State 79-74 on Tuesday night.
The Illini (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) led 71-70 when Paul sank his 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play. He followed that up with four free throws that put the game out of reach.
Ohio State (15-3, 3-2) led 39-34 at halftime and was up 64-61 with just over five minutes to play.
Paul's 43 points was the third-highest scoring performance in Illini history.
Meyers Leonard added 14 for Illinois.
Deshaun Thomas scored 23 points and Jared Sullinger added 21 for Ohio State.
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