Dainja, Shannon help the Illini squeak by Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament 77-74

MINNEAPOLIS (WAND) - Survive and advance, it is as simple as that.

The Big Ten quarterfinal between Illinois and Ohio State perfectly encapsulated what March is all about.

Illinois went on a bear-five minute scoring drought in the first half. Marcus Domask missed every field goal in the first half. The Illini trailed by double-digits in the late stages of the game. And it seemed like Ohio State kept burying big shot after big shot.

But the recipe for the Illini was simple. Let Terrence Shannon and Dain Dainja go to work. Shannon, Illinois' leading scorer (surpassed 2,000 career points) was expected to perform at a high level. But many probably did not expect to see Dainja, a Minnesota native, to be the star of the game. Dainja had 18 points off the bench, including several and-ones to helped Illinois climb back into the game.

"It was my night before the game started," said Dainja. "That's my mentality every time I step on the court."

With Illinois 77-74 win over the Buckeyes, the Illini have earned themselves a spot in the Big Ten Semifinals. They will face Nebraska at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Target Center.