EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State remains undefeated in Big Ten play.

Facing its toughest test of the conference season Sunday, the No. 12 Michigan State men’s basketball team (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) won a tightly contested game against No. 19 Illinois, 80-78 at Breslin Center. Taking advantage of foul trouble and making a number of finishes under contact and pressure, the Spartans remain atop the Big Ten standings.

Guard Tre Holloman led Michigan State in scoring with 17 points, while forwards Coen Carr and Frankie Fidler added 11. Eight rebounds from center Carson Cooper led Michigan State, as each team hauled in 40 apiece. Forward Will Riley led Illinois with 19 points.

Michigan State knew how dangerous Illinois (13-5, 5-3) could be, especially star Kasparas Jakucionis could be, but the Lithuanian guard took himself out of the equation early. Two fouls — both on Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. — sent him to the bench 2:56 in. He played just 4:10 of the first half.

Early on, the Spartans struggled to take advantage of the situation, in part because another Illinois player took over. Riley scored 16 of his team’s 18 points across an eight-minute stretch. He beat the Spartans with contested 3s, rolling layups and even on the boards, where his two offensive rebounds extended possessions.

Those offensive rebounds were among the 11 Michigan State allowed in the first half, but Illinois only scored six points off them. And while Riley’s burst took control of the game, the Spartans fought back bite by bite. The Illinois lead oscillated between seven and nine points until the under-12 timeout.

At that point, Jakucionis checked back in, but guard Jaden Akins checked him on the court. He picked up two assists but missed his only shot before heading back to the bench. Meanwhile, Akins and the Spartans battled back to within a shot.

Key to the resurgence was forward Xavier Booker, who drew a foul going for a rebound and hit a 3 in short order. That 3 was the only make among six attempts by his team in the first half.

Aided by an Akins and-one, Michigan State soon made it one-shot game with 3:47 left in the first half. A Jaxon Kohler hook shot brought it to one point soon after. And Holloman tied the game twice — once with a free throw, then with a mid-range jumper. Kohler put back a miss on the final possession to end the half tied at 36.

The first possession of the first half gave Michigan State its first lead of the game. Fears made a tough finish in the paint for the lead, aided by off-ball motion from Booker, who took Szymon Zapala’s place in the starting lineup after the break. The game remained close, with Illinois retaking the lead by the first media timeout.

In that span, Akins continued to get the better of Jakucionis, who took his fourth foul 2:28 into the half. He went to the bench having scored zero points for Illinois.

The Spartans picked up a bucket from seven different scorers in the first 8:43, keeping the game level by committee. With the game in a dead heat, Riley took his own fourth foul, putting yet another scorer on the Illinois bench.

Now more than ever, Michigan State had a chance to capitalize on the foul trouble. And it did. A Frankie Fidler 3 gave the Spartans their first lead since the start of the half, which Zapala and Holloman extended it at the free throw line.

By the time a Carr dunk and a Fears and-one put the Spartans up 66-59 with just under eight minutes left, Breslin Center exploded. Michigan State had taken control of the game. A major conference win was within grasp.

Desperate to get back even, Illinois subbed in both Jakucionis and Riley after the break, trying to muster the scoring necessary to pull even. Jakucionis scored his first bucket on an and-one at 7:29. Those would be his last points, as he fouled out 50 seconds later.

Michigan State got back to a seven-point lead once Jakucionis stepped off the court, but Illinois still had Riley. He thumped and bumped in the paint for an and-one that put his team within four. Fouls proved Illinois' undoing once again — this time from a coach. Frustrated with the officials as he had been for much of the night, Illinois coach Brad Underwood took a technical foul that sent Fidler to the line.

Michigan State held a six-point lead, but it soon shrunk to a single point as Illinois strung together a couple buckets. Morez Johnson Jr. had a chance to tie it up with 1:29 left but missed his final free throw. The teams traded buckets, and Illinois got a stop trailing 78-77. Boswell drove the paint looking to create the go-ahead bucket with 5.9 seconds left, but his pass bounced off of Tomislav Ivisic and out of bounds.

Going to the line for game-clinching free throws, Holloman scored his 16th and 17th points to take a three-point lead with 5.4 seconds left. With one more chance after guard Kylan Boswell split free throws, Boswell put up a shot with 0.9 seconds hanging on the clock. But his shot went over the top of the backboard, and the officials waved off the shot. Inbounding the ball one more time, Cooper cradled the ball for the 80-78 win.

Michigan State will trade home court for a road trip to New York City Saturday, taking on Rutgers at Madison Square Garden at 1:30 p.m. ET (CBS).

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