Illinois suffers 69-53 loss to Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio --Jamar Butler scored 22 points, Terence Dials had 19 and 15 rebounds and Je'Kel Foster 18 points to lead No. 19 Ohio State to a 69-53 victory over No. 10 Illinois on Sunday.

A year after ruining top-ranked Illinois' perfect, 29-0 season on Matt Sylvester's 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left, the Buckeyes relied on their outside marksmanship and Dials' muscle inside to win their fourth game in a row and remain in a virtual tie for first place in the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes (18-3, 7-3) hit 13-of-23 3-pointers three days after making 15-of-24 in a victory at No. 22 Michigan. It was the first time in five years Ohio State had beaten two ranked opponents in the same week.

Dee Brown scored 12 points to lead Illinois (20-4, 6-4) but was stymied all day by Ohio State's suffocating pressure. James Augustine added 11 points -- all in the first half -- and 13 rebounds.

-- AP