Brandon Paul scored 18 points to lead Illinois to a ugly 42-41 win over Michigan State at Assembly Hall.

Illinois (16-6, 5-4 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing skid and picked up its third win in the last four meetings with the Spartans. Michigan State (17-5, 6-3 Big Ten) lost its third straight road game and its third straight trip to Assembly Hall.

Paul missed the first shot of two one-and-one free throws to give Michigan State a chance to win at the buzzer, but Spartans guard Keith Appling missed a layup in a crowded key in the dying seconds.

Michigan State leading scorer Draymond Green had a rough night. After missing the morning shoot-around with flu-like symptoms, Green got into early foul trouble and a verbal clash with coach Tom Izzo following a technical foul. He scored just five points before going down with a knee injury with under four minutes remaining in the game

With Green limited, the Spartans offense was out of sorts. Michigan State shot just 7-for-30 in the first half, but trailed by only two points at the break. It finished shooting just 25 percent for the game, but compensated with 18 offensive rebounds.

Illinois 7-footer Meyers Leonard struggled against a beefy Spartans frontcourt. He scored six points in the win.

Branden Dawson led the Spartans with 12 points and 13 rebounds.