The Illini battled in East Lansing, but the Spartans ultimately landed the decisive blows to end their 12-game winning streak

EAST LANSING – Michigan State hosted a top-five opponent for the second straight weekend. The Spartans picked up a win this time around and it was a big one. No. 10 Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) snapped a two-game skid with an 85-82 overtime victory against No. 5 Illinois (20-4, 11-2) on Saturday night.

Illinois lived up to the hype and then some Saturday night in East Lansing. Overtime was needed to decide a massive Big Ten matchup.

The Illini fell to the Spartans in a down-and-dirty road test, and as usual social media had plenty to say about it

Michigan State Spartans’ Cam Ward flew down the court and finished with a powerful slam dunk against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Michigan State basketball score: Jeremy Fears Jr. led the Spartans with 26 points and 15 assists, the third-most in program history, vs. Illinois.

Jeremy Fears scored 26 points, including a tiebreaking three-point play with 1:47 left in overtime, and had 15 assists to help No. 10 Michigan State hold on for an 85-82 win over No. 5 Illinois on Saturday night.

Jeremy Fears capped a tumultous week by scoring a game-high 26 points to lead Michigan State to an 85-82 overtime win over Illinois, but his play was called into question again when the Illini accused him of intentionally tripping one of their players.

The red-hot No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini (20-3) can temporarily claim sole possession of the Big Ten Conference lead as they take a 12-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown with the 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans (19-4), who have lost their last two games, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

Michigan State basketball will host red-hot No. 5 Illinois on Saturday night from the Breslin Center. The Spartans played host to rival Michigan last week and came up short in the heated rivalry matchup.