BOSTON — Terrence Shannon Jr. spent much of the second half in foul trouble.
When it finally came time to check in, the high-scoring wing didn’t hesitate.
He carried No. 3 seed Illinois to its first Elite 8 appearance since reaching the national championship 19 years ago.
Shannon sank clutch 3-pointers, set up teammate Dane Dainja for a dunk, and made a crucial steal and basket in a 72-69 victory over No. 2 Iowa State.
He scored nine of his game-high 29 points in the final 5:08 in a matchup between a top-notch offense (Illinois) and a top-notch defense (Iowa State).
Ironically, Illinois’ defense was one of the keys to the victory.
They held Iowa State to 39.3 percent of their field goals and won the battle on the boards by five points.
Illinois prizes: 1st place in Connecticut; A spot in the Final Four is on the line Saturday night at TD Garden.
They have now won 10 of their last 11 games, including the Big Ten Tournament title.
The only loss was to Purdue, the top seed in the Midwest Region.
Curtis Jones scored 26 points and Keshon Gilbert added 14 points for Iowa State.
For Illinois, Coleman Hawkins had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Shannon is once again a star, averaging 28.3 points in three games this tournament.
He has yet to speak to the media since returning from a six-game suspension in the third week of January on the advice of his lawyer.
The 6-foot-6 Chicago native faces rape and other counts for an alleged sexual assault that occurred on Sept. 9 at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas.
Shannon was in town to watch the Illinois football team play Kansas State.
He was reinstated only because a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to the state of Illinois forcing him to return to work.
He is scheduled to return to court in May.
Illinois controlled the first half, led by as many as 11 points, and held a 10-point lead going into the break.
Shannon was dominant, scoring 16 points as the Illini handled Iowa State’s pressure well (five turnovers).
Meanwhile, the Cyclones struggled shooting, missing 22 of 31 shots.
They got off to a good start in the second half, and when Gilbert caught fire, they quickly got within four points and quickly racked up six points.
Iowa State couldn’t get off the jump and came within two innings. But it never pulled back.
