COLUMBUS, Ohio (Interstat) — The Illinois Fighting Illini used a balanced scoring attack to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 88-80 in a Big Ten Conference men’s basketball game Tuesday night at Value City Arena.

Illinois led 48-42 at halftime and maintained its advantage throughout the second half before a crowd of 9,974. Keaton Wagler scored 23 points and David Mirkovic added 22 for the Illini, who improved to 8-2. Andrej Stojakovic scored 17.

Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton poured in a game-high 34 points in the loss. The Buckeyes fell to 7-2. Illinois shot effectively from the field and the free-throw line to secure the road victory.