Update: Illini fail to bring down Michigan State

Anyone who thought the turning point to the Illinois basketball season would come against No. 8 Michigan State has the kind of positive attitude coach Bruce Weber wants in his locker room.

Despite a 15-0 run late in the first half that pushed Illinois to a 20-14 lead, the Illini limped through the second half Wednesday with few answers on offense as Michigan State rallied for a 51-41 victory in a Big Ten Conference game at the Breslin Center. The defeat left the Illini in search of a significant victory that could send the season in the opposite direction as the Illini followed a recent trend -- tough in the first half, weak in the second half.