CHICAGO — They usually say third time’s the charm.
That wasn’t the case for the Illini on Thursday night.
Penn State defeated Illinois two times in the regular season, and at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago, they aimed to make it three. The atmosphere at the United Center provided Illinois with a “home” crowd, but after 36 minutes of back-and-forth punches between the two teams, Penn State held a five-point lead.
Enter Andrew Funk. His four threes led the Nittany Lions to the lead, but he wasn’t done yet. With the shot clock winding down, the fifth-year senior pulled up from deep.