By Eric Chima

Senior Writer

Gone are the days when three-pointers flew from every corner of Assembly Hall. As Michigan State found out, when this Illini team wins, it wins with defense.

The shots never really fell for Illinois, but they used stifling defense in the first half and just enough down the stretch to beat the Spartans 57-50 Wednesday night.

It seemed like every pass Michigan State threw found an Illinois hand in the first half, as the Spartans had almost as many turnovers (15) as points (17.) Michigan State had only two assists and shot 33 percent, and star guard Drew Neitzel managed only four points on 1-6 shooting. In all, it was a far cry from the 34 first-half points and 21-0 run Purdue put up on the Illini Saturday.

“We played with passion from the start,” center Shaun Pruitt said. “On Saturday we came out flat-footed and we weren’t ready for Purdue.”

The team defense was not as solid in the second half, when the Spartans scored 33 points and climbed back into the game. But Neitzel remained a non-factor, finishing 2-12 and 1-7 on three-pointers. It took a questionable foul on a three-point shot just to get him to 10 points, far below his average of 18.7.

“Almost every play is ran for him, so we just wanted to stay cognizant of where he was on the floor,” said Rich McBride, who spent most of the game on Neitzel’s tail.

The Illini also made a conscious effort to make Neitzel work on the defensive end, head coach Bruce Weber said.

“We knew Neitzel would be tired after (their game Saturday night), you know, unless you’re Superman,” Weber said. “Whoever he was guarding we said just keep moving and see if we can wear him down. He just never got in a rhythm, to our guys’ credit.”

After allowing the Spartans to score some points early in the second half, the Illini came up with several huge stops down the stretch. At one point, after Michigan State pulled within five with two minutes remaining, the Illini played a near-perfect defensive series to force Neitzel into a crucial air ball as the shot clock expired. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, though, blamed his own players as much as the Illini.

“In the first half performance, our guards went from great guards to very poor guards, and Illinois has to take some credit for that,” Izzo said. “(But) what we did at the end was mind-boggling.”

Frazier rebounds

Even as the national anthem rang out before Tuesday’s game, Weber did not know whether guard Chester Frazier would be able to play. But did he ever.

“They told me (Tuesday) morning that he wouldn’t play,” Weber said. “Then he went out and said he couldn’t start.”

Trent Meacham started in place of Frazier, but the sophomore guard came off the bench and turned in one of the best performances of his career. He matched a career high with 17 points, shot 6-8 from the floor, and tied for the team lead with 6 rebounds – all without turning the ball over once.

Frazier had to overcome a variety of injuries just to suit up, and then had to rebound from a miserable 1-7 shooting performance against Purdue, where the Boilermakers sometimes chose not to guard him at all.

“It was gutsy for him,” Weber said. “I don’t think anyone was more down than him after the Purdue game.”

Frazier frequently bailed the Illini offense out with a number of short, twisting jumpers, often with the shot clock nearing zero – including a tough leaner over a taller defender as the first-half clock expired. When he finally missed a buzzer-beater midway through the second half, the crowd was almost stunned.

Izzo dealt Frazier high praise after the game, comparing him to a Michigan State legend.

“Frazier showed me more guts than anybody I’ve seen since Mateen Cleaves,” he said. “Everybody knows he’s hurt. I told him at our place I think he’s the toughest player in the league.”

Free throw woes continue

The Illini almost threw away another game at the free-throw line Tuesday night.

The team shot a paltry 12-26 from the stripe in the second half after hitting four of five in the first. For the game, they shot only 51.6 percent, compared to 87.5 percent for Michigan State.

“If we could make free throws, maybe we win by 10-12 points,” Weber said. “They’re just not going down. If you’re not at home today, it’s probably the difference-maker.”

The biggest culprit was Shaun Pruitt, who was second on the team with 15 points but could not connect from the line. Pruitt went 5-14 for the game and was often fouled as soon as he caught the ball in the second half.

“It was a tough game,” Pruitt said. “We won, though. I don’t care how tough it was, we got the win, so I’m all good.”

Weber jokingly mentioned that the team has had a number of offers to help Pruitt, but his problems continue.

“It’s a shame, because he does shoot in practice much better than that,” Weber said. “And hopefully we can get him a little confidence and start making some.”

Quote of the game

“His nickname is Shaq” – Rich McBride on Shaun Pruitt.