March 8, 2007

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Game Three • March 8, 2007 • United Center • Chicago, Ill.
#6 Illinois 66 (22-10), #11 Penn State 60 (11-19)
No. 6 Illinois advances to play No. 3 Indiana at 8:10 p.m. CST Friday

Mike Walker of Penn State sank seven three-pointers in the contest, which is a Big Ten Tournament (BTT) record for treys made in a game. The previous high was six, which was achieved by six players. The last player to accomplish that was Jeff Horner of Iowa on March 10, 2006. The seven three's were also a career-best for Walker and ties the PSU single-game record, which had been accomplished three times previously (most recently, Joe Crispin vs. Ohio State, Feb. 27, 1999). Prior to today, Walker had combined to sink five three-pointers in three BTT games.

Walker also scored a career-high 22 points in the contest. His previous career-best was 17 points, set twice, most recently against Iowa on Feb. 28, 2007.

Illinois improved its season record to 22-10 and has won eight of its last 11 games. The Illini have a BTT record victory total of 17 against just seven losses. They have a record of 2-0 in first round BTT games and have advanced to the quarterfinal round in all 10 years of the tournament's existence, advancing to the semifinals eight of the first nine years.

Illinois captured its 17th consecutive game at the United Center, improving its record at the facility to 30-6 (.833 winning percentage). It has a perfect 9-0 mark in the arena under coach Bruce Weber.

The 10 three-pointers made by both Penn State and Illinois in the contest ties for the fifth-best total in BTT single-game history. The feat had been accomplished six times prior to today, with Ohio State sinking the number against Penn State most recently on March 3, 2006.

The 20 total three-point field goals (10 each by Illinois and Penn State) tie for the second-most in a single game in BTT history. The record is 21 made treys, set by Minnesota (eight) and Michigan (13) on March 7, 1998. The Nittany Lions and Fighting Illini had combined for 20 three's once before, as Penn State sank 11 and Illinois made nine on March 11, 2000.

Illinois faces Indiana in the quarterfinals on Friday. It will be the sixth meeting between the two schools in BTT play, with Illinois leading 4-1. No other two programs have played more than three times against each other in the BTT.

Penn State is now 0-5 as the No. 11 seed and did not win a game on the road during the 2006-07 season.

Illinois yielded 60 points to Penn State. It marked the 13th time in the last 14 games that the Illini have allowed 64 points or fewer. The Illini entered today's game ranked ninth in NCAA scoring defense (57.3 points per game).

Chester Frazier of Illinois scored 21 points in the contest, marking a career high. Prior to today, he had scored 17 points on two different occasions. His five three-pointers were also a career-best, with his previous high being four against Idaho State on Dec. 21, 2006. Frazier did not score in his 2006 BTT debut against Michigan State. 

Penn State's Geary Claxton finished the season with an average of 16.3 points per game. That average led the team on the year, and with that total Claxton became the sixth player in PSU history to lead the Nittany Lions in scoring for three straight seasons. The last player to accomplish that feat was Pete Lisicky from 1996-1998.

In the last 17 BTT games, the losing team has scored 60 points or less. The losing team has averaged 52.9 points per game in those contests.

Shaun Pruitt of Illinois grabbed 10 rebounds against Penn State, marking the ninth time this season that he has been in double figures.

Rich McBride of Illinois dished out 10 assists, a career high in the win. His previous single game best was eight against Texas Pan American on Nov. 20, 2005. In his seven previous BTT appearances, McBride had a total of seven assists.