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ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — The Big Ten suspended Illinois guard Alan Griffin two games Thursday for stepping on Purdue's Sasha Stefanovic. Griffin got called for a flagrant foul 2 and was ejected with 12:21 left in the first half Tuesday at Purdue when he stomped on Stefanovic's midsection after the guard drove for a layup and drew a crescendo of boos. No. 21 Illinois went on to win 79-62. Griffin, averaging 8.4 points, will miss games against Michigan on Saturday and Minnesota on Jan. 30. He apologized Wednesday to Stefanovic and Purdue as well as Illinois and its fans on social media.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 21 Illinois is tied for first place in the Big Ten heading into a matchup at Michigan on Saturday. The Illini are even with Michigan State after the 11th-ranked Spartans lost at Indiana on Thursday night. That's a big deal for Illinois, which hasn't finished above .500 in conference play since 2010. Coach Brad Underwood's team has won five straight games, and the Illini now face a Michigan team that's going through a rough stretch. The Wolverines, who have been without injured forward Isaiah Livers, have lost three in a row and four of their last five. Illinois beat Michigan 71-62 when the teams met in December.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Carr hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left in the game and Minnesota beat struggling Ohio State 62-59. Carr had 21 points as the Gophers rallied to stay with the Buckeyes in the second half, tying the game twice in last 1:37. His winning 3-pointer came right after Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson missed a 3-point attempt with the score tied at 59. Gabe Kalscheur added 13 points and Daniel Oturu had 11 for the Gophers, who’ve won three of their last four.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kathleen Doyle scored 13 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 19 Iowa defeat Ohio State 77-68. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder picked up her 200th Big Ten win while the Hawkeyes won their seventh straight game and 31st consecutive at home. They are tied atop the Big Ten with No. 22 Northwestern. Dorka Juhasz scored 22 points with 16 rebounds for the Buckeyes.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is among the top Senior Bowl prospects who opted to delay turning pro until after their senior seasons. For some like South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, Alabama linebacker Terrell Lewis and Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes, injuries as juniors led them to stay in school. They're all hoping that extra season of college football helped their NFL draft stock. The group is hoping for the same benefit from a week of practices leading up to Saturday's Senior Bowl.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Ali Patberg had 18 points and nine assists, Mackenzie Holmes also scored 18 points and No. 17 Indiana beat Penn State 76-60. Jaelynn Penn added 11 points for Indiana. Brenna Wise grabbed 10 rebounds. Indiana scored the first 10 points of the second half for the first double-digit lead of the game. Kamaria McDaniel led Penn State with 24 points. Siyeh Frazier added 14 points. McDaniel scored 16 points in the first half and Frazier made all three of her 3-point attempts as Penn State was within 39-38 at the break.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Lindsey Pulliam and Veronica Burton scored 22 points apiece to help No. 22 Northwestern beat Michigan State 76-48 for their fifth straight victory. Abbie Wolf had 14 points and nine rebounds for Northwestern. Abi Scheid, who was awarded the Big Ten player of the week on Monday, had five points, six rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes. Pulliam and Burton each had 11 points in the first half to help Northwestern take a 33-23 lead at the break. Moira Joiner scored 17 points, with five 3-pointers, for Michigan State, which shot just 35%.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kaila Charles had 20 points and nine rebounds to help No. 20 Maryland beat Illinois 79-60. Shakira Austin added 14 points and Sara Vujacic scored 11 for the Terrapins (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten), who won their fourth straight. Vujacic was 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Maryland opened the game with a 10-0 run and led the entire way, going into the break with a 40-27 lead. Ali Andrews scored 20 points and Petra Holesinska had 14 points for Illinois (10-9, 1-7).
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